To Catch a Ghost
by Scribblez09
Summary: The year is 1918; the world has changed and the Old West and its lifestyle is more or less dead. Jack and Maddie fight to continue their old way of life, but when a sudden and violent threat spreads across America, they find themselves caught up in an adventure that sends them to Mexico and turns out to be more than what they bargained for.
1. Part 1: A Dying Breed

**_HOWDY, YA'LL!_ Been quite a while since last we've met, and I can say the waiting has nearly killed me. I couldn't wait to start on the next chapter in Maddie and Jack's story, and I can't tell you how freakin' awesome it's gonna be. I hope you guys enjoy this next installment of their story, and please know that I am all ears for suggestions. If you guys have any sort of ideas or suggestions or whatever, PLEASE by all means private message me! Please please please do so! This story doesn't exactly have a concrete story line, and even though I have a few main scenes I am anxious to get to (one of which will no doubt break my heart when I get to it), the road leading to those scenes is very vague. My muse has me walking through a mist, and even though I can see the few beacons of where I wish to go with this story, I haven't the slightest clue as to how I'll clear the fog and make everything visible yet.**

**But without further ado, here's the first chapter to what I hope will be an enthralling adventure!**

**P.S. I am SOOO happy to be writing about these two again! Can't wait to share this all with you.**

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**Part 1:**

**A Dying Breed**

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**Chapter Track:** The Times They Are A-Changing - Bob Dylan

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Maddie threw back the shot of whiskey with ease and set the empty glass back down on the counter with a heavy sigh. It wasn't the potency of the drink that made her exhale deeply, it was the monotony that her life had begun to settle into. She spun the glass around in her right hand and looked about the Blackwater saloon with an unobserved scan underneath the brim of her black Stetson; she frowned as she saw the usual saloon dwellers taking up the tables and chairs. Near to where she stood at the bar, the blackjack table was well under way with a game; outside on the patio, the poker table was also in the middle of a game. Prostitutes mingled about like vultures, eying every man hungrily and waiting for the chance to strike. She looked and felt out of place: the majority of people who now occupied the saloon were wealthy men itching to spend their money on a cocktail and a card game, as well as the usual men in town who she'd come to know by assimilation. Almost every single man in the large room wore clean, expensive suits, whereas Maddie was dressed in her weathered bounty hunting outfit: dark duster, boots, spurs, hat, dark-brown riding pants, a tan long-sleeve shirt, and black vest. Her Henry repeater was slung across her back, and her trusty semi-automatic pistols hung at her sides. An occasional cigar was seen spewing out smoke and sitting nestled between the fingers of the townsfolk who'd moved from other larger cities—New York City and San Francisco, for starters—to live in the ever-growing town of Blackwater. Within the last four years, the town had doubled, making it impossible to ignore or refuse the changes that had befallen the land. From beneath her dust-covered hat, Maddie scowled at them all and shook her head, feeling like a relic in their presence and getting all the more angry because of it.

Disgusted with the people she saw around her, she turned back to the counter and stared down at her empty shot glass in her hand. Again, she sighed and shook her head. Disappointment in the day's events led her to this godforsaken place, and with the measly amount of cash she'd received and pocketed from Archer Fordham not but twenty minutes ago, it was all she could do to not spend it all on liquor.

_A lousy fifty bucks isn't even worth it_, she thought with a sour frown, _even if I went down to Thieves Landing to get that lousy goddamned horse thief._ She snorted through her nose. _He wasn't even that hard to find and subdue, anyways. My God, it's like he didn't even think to be on the look-out._

She looked up from her brooding as the old bartender made his rounds and came over to her in the corner. He met gazes with her and held up the bottle of whiskey with a knowing grin.

"Need another, Miss Maddie?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

She nodded and pushed the shot glass forward with a flick of her hand. She watched the golden liquid pour from its bottle to her glass, and she threw it back once it was to the brim. The whiskey fell down her throat and splashed into her stomach with a pleasant after-burn. She sighed egregiously as she took off her hat, set it on the counter, and ran a hand through her long, trail-dust-ridden dark-brown hair that settled just above her backside.

"Bounty hunting business ain't servin' you too well, I take it?" the bartender guessed, studying her slouched stance with a keen eye.

Maddie nodded and picked up the full glass. She frowned when a few fat drops of whiskey spilled over the brim and slopped onto the sleeve of her duster. Flustered, she took the shot and slammed the glass back down in front of her. She grabbed her hat and slapped it back on, giving it a couple good tugs to make it fit snugly on her head. "Yeah, and apparently nobody 'round here knows how to pull off a damn crime. The kid I brought in tonight must've been more than sixteen and stole his first couple horses. I swear, if this town's police force keeps crackin' down on crime anymore, I'll be out of the job." Realization dawned on her, and with widening eyes and a dampening spirit, she bowed her head and leaned heavily on her elbows on the counter-top. "There will be no more need for me."

"They're just doin' their job, miss," the bar keep responded softly. "Archer Fordham's a good man: he's been running this law enforcement better than your uncle could've dreamed of doing, no offense. He's changed it a lot, and faith is bein' restored in the law. Hell, I'm surprised you or Jack hasn't taken that offer of Archer's." He paused as he poured her another shot. "Then again, it's not like you and him are hurtin' for money, anyways, with that big ranch of yours."

Maddie picked up the shot and held it before her, studying the way the light was caught and reflected in the liquor. "That's true, I suppose. We do have it great out there." She swallowed the shot and chuckled afterwards. "But if you're referring to Jack and I joining the police force, you've got another thing comin'. That job's outta the question with Jack; he'd tell you to fuck off the second you asked him, just like he told Archer the one time he bothered him about it."

"And what about you? Would you ever take up on Fordham's offer? You know he's just _dyin'_ to have you a part of his force, miss. You'd be _perfect_ for the job, and like you said, bounty hunting's a dying career, so why not take it?"

"And deal with drunks and snobs every night?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to the crowd around them with a wave of her hand. She scoffed and added, "I don't think so. I may be aptly eligible for the job, but I'm not takin' it. My family's had a bad history with working for the law, or have you forgotten that?"

The older man bowed his head in defeat, not wanting to stir her up further. He grabbed a rag from behind the counter and wiped up Maddie's spill. As he did so, he asked, "Speaking of Jack, how's he doin'? Haven't seen him in town for quite some time. He doin' okay?"

Maddie nodded. "Yeah, he's doin' great, actually. Been busy breaking Cloud, that sassy little filly my mare Féileacán and Jack's stallion Sundance had three years ago. She's a pretty little thing. Got the best of both parents. She's a gorgeous little tobiano palomino. You should stop by and see her, Charlie: she's been giving me and Jack a run for our money, I tell you what."

"I would, if this saloon wasn't so damn busy all the time. Hell, you know this town keeps growing every day. Just the other day, I was talkin' to a guy who said he and his family were all the way from New York."

Maddie's eyes widened. "The hell are they doin' out here?"

"What do you _think_ they're doin' here? People from all over America are just flockin' out to the country to settle it down. These times, they are a-changin'. You know that."

Sadness and anger darkened her countenance; she glared down at the shot glass. "Yeah, that's what's pissin' me off." Her hard gaze wandered the room as she continued, "All these rich bastards comin' down here thinkin' they can just take over. It's the rape of the West, mister, and it just sickens me. It was a pain in the ass tryin' to cut across land to get to Thieves Landing this morning to get that kid. You should've seen all the barbed wire fences, Charlie."

"I can believe it, miss. It's hard finding any land around here that hasn't been touched by it. You still have your cattle out by your place, don't you?"

She nodded bitterly. "They're mostly out to pasture nowadays, but we still drive 'em home at night. There's no more room for free grazing anymore." She scoffed and shook her head. "Jack and I, we're a dying breed, with our ranch and our livestock and our way of life."

"Maybe so, Maddie." He paused to evaluate whether or not he should ask the question that was pestering him. "So is that what's got you hot and bothered under the collar? You seem so…bitter nowadays."

The sadness and yearning swelled within her and extended outwards to engulf her face in sorrow and nostalgia. She rested her chin in her left hand and propped her elbow on the counter as her grief consumed her. "I just miss the old days, Charlie. I miss the freedom and the space. I miss bein' able to ride around anywhere and go after bounty hunts that were worth my time and skill. Nowadays, there's barbed wire fences every which way you look, and this town's getting bigger and fuller with rich lawyers and stock brokers and the like while us farmers and ranchers are starting to feel the changes. Hell, Armadillo is getting a lot smaller, now that I think about it. Before ya know it, it'll be a ghost town like Tumbleweed, just an empty shell of what was once a great place. Fuck, I feel like that's what's gonna happen to me. I'll just dry up and be gone with the wind, forgotten with the sands of time." She picked up the glass and turned it around and around in her free hand. "Things have changed, that's for sure. The bounties I've gone after haven't been more than fifty dollars, and it's hardly worth my time and energy to go after them anymore. But what other choice do I have, Charlie? I'm helping Archer along, helpin' to keep this land free of crooks and bandits and the like, but I just don't think it's enough. I just want some adventure in my life, a chance to go back to the way it was…just one last hurrah before everything changes for good. Is that too much to ask?"

"We all figured this was gonna happen," Charlie responded as he leaned his forearms on the counter. "Time changes things, even the way we live and the times we live in. It's only a matter of time before them contraptions…them _automobiles_ take the place of horses."

Maddie fervently shook her head. "I'm _never_ getting rid of my horses." She lifted her chin. "You know what? I'd wager my horses are more reliable and more affordable than a goddamned automobile."

"Don't speak so soon, miss," Charlie warned as he leaned back up and turned half-way away from her. From across the way at the other end of the bar, several gentlemen called to him and waved him over. Turning back to Maddie, he admonished, "Don't be so sure. Those things are on the rise in town. Pretty soon, they'll make their way across West Elizabeth and into New Austin, if they haven't already."

Maddie bit her lip in befuddled anger, not knowing what to say to his prediction. As she watched Charlie serve the men, she couldn't help but laugh at their choice of drink: two cocktails and a mixed drink. She glanced down at her empty glass, then back up at their drinks as they received them from the bartender. _Pussies, the lot of 'em_, she thought with a scoff as she retrieved a cigar within an inner pocket of her duster. As she struck a match and lit up her favorite choice of cigar, the eyes of the men whom she was watching drifted to her. She puffed on the cigar and stared at them unblinkingly through the cloud of bluish-white smoke she'd produced. The men gawked at her with a mixture of horror and shock; they turned and talked amongst themselves at how unladylike she must've appeared to them. Maddie simply laughed and enjoyed her cigar.

_Go ahead, you uppity sons-a-bitches_, she challenged. _Say something to me, I dare ya_. To further intimidate them, she flicked back her duster, showing off her pistols as she rested her hand on them. She smiled through the cigar when their jaws dropped. _That's what I thought, you hoity-toity bastards. Don't fuck with me. _Chuckling, she turned and faced Charlie as he came back up to her.

"You want another, Miss Maddie?"

A wry grin spread across her lips. "Yeah. Gimme one more."

Charlie gave her a cross look, knowing full well what she was up to, but he acquiesced nonetheless and poured her one last shot. He, along with the flabbergasted rich men across the bar, watched her as she threw back the shot with practiced perfection.

"Show-off," Charlie sniffed.

"You're just jealous like them bastards," Maddie shot back with a coy smile. The light from the bulbs all above her reflected on the ring she wore on her left hand; she glanced down at it and smirked at her wedding ring she'd received four years ago, almost to the day, and though it was a simple band with a large diamond, it was all the world to her ever since that day. With that as a reminder of whom she married and whom she'd kept waiting long enough back at home, she reached into her duster again and withdrew the money she'd received thirty minutes ago. She laid down a twenty-dollar bill on the counter between her and the bar keep. "Anyway, I'd better get goin'. I've got a husband at home who's missin' me. God forbid I'm out of his sight for more than a day."

"And for good reason, too, Missus Marston. You're one attractive and impressive lady." He glanced over at the gentlemen who stood staring at her and grinned. He jerked his head over to them and added, "They seem to think so. Hell, I'd say they're downright intimidated by you."

"Good," Maddie said smugly. She turned to leave.

"Don't you want your change?"

She smiled genuinely at him and shook her head. "Keep the rest of it for yourself, Charlie." She tipped her hat to him and headed for the door. "Have a good night, mister."

The bartender nodded and bid her good night as well.

Maddie made her way out of the saloon, past the poker table, and out of the patio, where her rocky mountain mare was hitched to the patio fence, as usual. Gypsy whickered a greeting and flicked her ears forward; Maddie petted the mare with affection before untying her and mounting up. As she reined her horse around, from out of the corner of her eye, several large and shining objects snagged her attention. Turning her head, she looked and saw with rising disgust the row of five Ford Model T's parked in front of the hotel across the way from her and her horse. Puffing on her cigar in anger, she turned back in the saddle and kicked her horse into a lope out of town and down the road that led back home, to Beecher's Hope, where her husband awaited.

* * *

The nighttime songs of crickets and owls filled Jack's ears that night; the autumn air held a biting chill that nipped at his skin underneath his rancher's clothes, but he didn't pay attention to any of that. His attention was focused on the road that led onto his property. Dusk had begun to blanket the world in deepening darkness; nevertheless, he sat in his rocking chair on the wrap-around porch impatiently awaiting the return of his beloved wife. His fingers drummed an anxious rhythm on the arm rests; he frequently checked his pocket watch she'd given to him as an anniversary present: it read eight-fifty.

"Goddamn it, Maddie," he griped as worry began to suffocate his heart. "Where are you?"

At his feet, Django lay on his stomach with his muzzle resting on his large paws. The Border collie whined and looked up at his master, who petted his head in comfort.

"She'll be back soon," Jack reassured.

Five minutes passed, and he nearly jumped out of the rocking chair when his palomino stallion trumpeted an echoing neigh from nearby the corral. Sundance, along with Féileacán and their foal Cloud, stood staring down the road with ears pricked and nostrils flaring as they caught the scent of their herd-mate approaching the property. Jack watched the horses with growing excitement, knowing full well they had spotted Gypsy further down the road.

To his relief, off in the distance, a loud whinny answered Sundance's call. In response to the mare's answer, Sundance and Féileacán whickered and ran to meet Gypsy on the road as she loped up to the barn. Sure enough, not ten seconds later, Gypsy came galloping down the road towards the barn with Maddie sitting atop her, her hair and duster billowing behind her. Tossing their heads and half-bucking, the three horses followed behind the black mare and came to a stop around the front doors of the barn.

"It's about damn time you got home, Madeline!" Jack called out as Maddie pulled up her horse by the hitching post. He rose from his seat and rushed across the porch, down the steps, and across the way to the barn. Skirting around the gaggle of horses surrounding his beloved, in a matter of seconds, he had his wife in his arms, nearly squeezing the air out of her as he held her tight and kissed her lovingly.

As he released her and pulled away, Jack exclaimed, "_Where have you been?_ I thought you said you'd be back before dark."

Maddie shrugged as she turned and hitched her sweaty horse to the post. Sundance came loping up, and as the mare and stallion nuzzled each other's noses and nickered, she began unsaddling her mount. Nearby, Féileacán and her tobiano palomino foal stood off to the side watching as the leader of the herd greeted his matriarchal mare. As Maddie loosened the cinches, she explained through her smoking cigar, "Well, after I threw that horse thief in jail and got the reward, I got thirsty and thought I'd stop and have myself a drink or two. Hell, the reward money was only fifty bucks, Jack. It's not even worth my time anymore to go out on hunts."

Jack stepped closer and put his hands on her waist, drawing her away from her horse momentarily to turn her back around and face him. "I'm just glad you're home. You know how much it worries me when you get home later than expected."

"I know," she agreed shamefully. "I just wanted a few drinks, that's all."

"Just a few?" Jack asked with a cocked eyebrow. He gave her a quick kiss before leaning back and frowning down at her. "Maddie, I can taste the whiskey on your lips."

She shook her head as she took the cigar out of her mouth and released a cloud of smoke, making sure to blow it away from Jack's face. She gave her husband an admonishing look. "Jack, I'm not like my father. Alcohol isn't my reason for existence."

His next question lingered in his mouth for a long while before he had the courage to voice it. "How is your pa? Did you see him tonight?"

She scoffed and returned the cigar to her mouth as she turned back to her horse and finished loosening the cinches. She pulled off the saddle and carried it into the barn, where she placed it on top of a saw horse with the blanket lying across it to air out. She fetched a brush, came back to her horse, and immediately set to work brushing out her worn-out mare.

"Maddie, answer me."

"I didn't see him tonight," she answered back, irritated. The sound of the brush sliding across Gypsy's sweat-coated back was the only sound for a short time until she continued, "I haven't seen him in such a long time. Hell, I don't even remember that last time I saw him at Blackwater. I mean, I've seen him on the street, but you know me. Every time he'd walk my way, I'd get back on my horse. I haven't talked to him or seen him much at all, really, not since our wedding day, and that was four years ago."

Jack turned and headed into the barn to grab another brush and help her out. As he momentarily disappeared, he called out to her, "So I take it you two have been avoiding each other like the plague, huh?"

"And for good reason, too. I'll be damned if I talk to that bastard ever again."

"Please tell me you haven't disowned him, darlin'," Jack grumbled as he returned and stood on the other side of the black mare. He began brushing the horse near her head and worked his way back. "I mean, sure, he tried to kill me, but that was a long time ago. And he _did_ come for the wedding."

"And he stood at the very back," she growled, her face set in a scowl. "I remember that, and I also remember seeing him leave just as after we said our vows. He didn't even stay for the whole thing."

Jack's brush paused in mid-stroke on Gypsy's withers as he gave her an admonishing stare across the horse's back. "Maddie, stop it. You know why he did what he did. Any man in his position would've done the same thing. How else do you expect him to act after what happened between you two, and between him and me? I'm amazed he even had the audacity to show up that day. But you know what? He did, and for that, you should be grateful." After his speech, the brush continued on down the horse's side.

Maddie paused her brush to puff on her cigar angrily before plucking from her lips and holding it out to the side. She stared out across the property, watching the cattle graze off over in the south corner of the fence that surrounded Beecher's Hope. By that time, Sundance had moved off to join Cloud and Féileacán for some grazing to pass the time before their eldest member of the herd joined them. A troubled frown tugged at the corners of her lips, and her furrowed brow refused to relax. Again, she puffed on the cigar in angry reflection and let the smoke roll out of her mouth and dance around her face and hat.

Before she knew what happened next, Jack walked around her horse and plucked the cigar from her fingers. He was able to take one large puff from it before she snatched it from his lips and back into her hand where it belonged. She glared at him even though she was far from angry at him; he glared back, playing their usual marital game.

"You pain in my ass," she said.

"I love you, too," he chuckled back and wrapped an arm around her waist. His humor faded as he studied how blatantly her countenance exhibited her dilemma. "Maddie, listen to me: you gotta let the past be past. We've had a good four years together, haven't we? Our ranch is thriving, despite all the changes the land's had to overcome. Sure, Blackwater's gettin' bigger and bigger, but we've got this ranch and ourselves to count on, right?"

She sighed and leaned into his arms, resting her head on her chest and holding her cigar away from him. "Yeah, I suppose so, Jack."

"But there's still somethin' botherin' you, isn't there?" he asked astutely.

She nodded.

"And?"

"I'm just upset is all. Bounty hunting isn't what it used to be. _This land_ isn't what it used to be."

He pulled her in tighter and kissed her forehead. "It'll be all right, Maddie. One way or another, things will work out." He pulled her towards the house and said, "Now come on. Supper's been waitin' on the table for you all evening, so get to it." He pushed her gently on the back, urging her onward, before he turned and pulled the bridle off of Gypsy's head.

* * *

The weeks passed; autumn settled itself quite snugly in West Elizabeth, bringing a chill to the air and colder starts to the days. The leaves had begun to turn a myriad of brilliant fall colors: the trees began to shed their multi-colored plumage and litter the ground around them, and the ever-present breeze picked them up and spun them around like dance partners across Beecher's Hope. Maddie and Jack had all but picked clean their garden behind the house, leaving the crops bare and skeletal as they moved the food to storage in the pantry. The calves that were born in the summer quickly grew and filled out, and even their coats began to thicken for the oncoming winter; as was their custom, Maddie and Jack drove the calves to the MacFarlane's ranch, where the herd was cut and separated in half with one half staying on the ranch and the other half loaded onto the train and sold elsewhere. After they returned home from a long day of driving, cutting, and sorting cattle, the Marstons retired their exhausted horses to the corral alongside Féileacán and Cloud before heading in and getting a good night's rest.

The next few days that followed were rather uneventful, except for the continuous work with the unbroken tobiano palomino. Maddie drove Cloud's anxious mother out of the corral to stand alongside Gypsy and Sundance while Jack worked with the filly for hours on end. On one particularly chilly morning, Maddie stood alongside the three adult horses outside the fence watching intently as her husband and the foal spoke the silent language of Equus. As Jack stood in the middle of the corral with lunge line connecting him to the filly via her rope halter, Cloud loped around the fence, keeping one attentive ear cocked to him.

"Keep your shoulders facing her, Jack," she reminded quietly to him as she watched. Beside her, Féileacán nudged her side for comfort as she watched her foal being worked with outside of her reach. Maddie petted the mare reassuringly on the neck but otherwise paid her no heed as she watched the training continue inside the fence.

"I know what I'm doin'," Jack grumbled back, flicking his annoyed gaze back over his shoulder at her. "I've been working with her since day one, Maddie."

"I know, but it's good to have an audience who helps keep you in check."

Jack grunted in reply and returned his full attention to the young horse who circled around him. He'd been lunging her for at least twenty minutes, and now as he watched her lower her head and focus her attention fully on him, he gave her the signals to slow her pace and come in towards him. He took a step back, and just as he predicted, the filly turned in and trotted up to him with her ears perked and her head raised. Cloud stopped before him and blew loudly; her breathing was heavier than he expected, but he'd had her lunging longer than usual, and so he stepped forward with a hand raised and brushed her pink, velveteen muzzle. Cloud flicked one ear back, the other forward, but did nothing to show signs she'd back up or refuse his touch.

"Good. Now try the saddle again with her. Maybe today she'll take it."

"I'm hoping she does, too," Jack huffed as he turned and walked toward the barn. Cloud followed by his shoulder, her gaze focused on him like he was her herd-mate and parent. However, the second she saw him retrieve the saddle, blanket, and bridle, the tobiano palomino pinned back her ears, turned, and fled out of the barn. After ten feet of fleeing, she stopped, turned back around, and watched as Jack reemerged with her tack in tow. Her trainer sighed and shook his head.

"Oh, come on, now," he chastised as he walked toward her. "Don't you be startin' this up again. You know what all this is."

"Don't push her too far, honey," Maddie said from behind the fence.

"I know, I know." With a grunt, Jack set the tack down on the ground between him and Cloud and watched as the filly cautiously took a step forward, her nostrils flaring. "Come on, you little shit. You know what this is. Now come here." He bent down and picked up the bridle.

The tobiano palomino faltered in her advancement forward, but only for a brief second, and with a flick of her ears and a quick backward glance at her mother and Maddie, she proceeded forward and stood in front of Jack obediently. Her lips quivered with intrigue as Jack brought the bit to her mouth and slipped the head stall over her dainty head. As usual, Cloud took the bit without a fuss and stood still while her handler buckled the throat lash.

"Alright, Cloud," Jack said as he dropped the reins to the ground, "here we go. You stand still now." Cautiously, he bent down and retrieved the blanket first. "Easy, now." Without haste, he placed the blue blanket over the filly's back, and he smiled when the foal didn't budge from her spot.

From her viewpoint, Maddie watched anxiously as her husband stooped back down the third time and retrieved the saddle. She gasped when the filly spooked slightly and side-stepped as Jack hefted up the saddle near her. "Whoa, Cloud," she commanded.

"Easy, girl," Jack added as he paused in lifting the saddle up. "Stand." Without further hesitation, he lifted the saddle up and over Cloud's back, pausing only a moment to let the filly calm before setting it down on her.

Cloud's ears folded back against her head, and she raised her head higher than usual as she became accustomed to the weight and feel of the saddle and blanket. She side-stepped and pranced awkwardly about, giving Jack the impression he had to pick up her reins and hold her in place. After another moment longer, she calmed and allowed Jack to tighten the cinches. When at last he was done, Jack looped the reins around the saddle horn and picked up the lunge line. As he backed away towards the center of the corral, he urged Cloud into a walk around him.

The second the filly stepped forward, she baulked and squealed as she truly felt the saddle on her for the first time. Panicking, she crow-hopped and bucked all around the corral, keeping her head low by her front hooves as she attempted to throw the saddle off her back. For eight solid minutes, she did her best to rid herself of the awkward heavy piece of leather and wood that was strapped to her barrel, but eventually, when she realized it wasn't as terrible as she thought originally, she calmed and, after another crow-hop or two, she stood still and stared at Jack wide-eyed and panting.

With a broad smile, Jack beckoned her forward by stepped backwards and slightly pulling on the lunge line. As the filly walked forward, fully saddled for the first time, he praised her with soothing words and generous petting. "That a girl," he cooed as he rubbed her neck. "See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Cloud shook her head and mane and rubbed her bridle against his leg, clearly indicating her unwillingness to have the tack on after all her trouble.

Jack merely chuckled and continued to pet her. He turned, however, when footsteps approached him from behind, and he smiled proudly as his beautiful wife walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"That really wasn't so bad," Maddie commented coolly and beamed at him. "After, what, half a year of work?" She gestured to the filly. "Look at her! She's taking to the tack well. I honestly thought she'd do a little more bucking than that."

"Me, too," Jack agreed and unloosed the reins from the saddle horn. "Now it's your turn…or do you want me to do the honors?"

Maddie's smile widened as she took the reins from him. "It'll be my pleasure."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, you're the one with the horse skills, not me."

"And yet you insisted on breaking her," she countered with a snort. Maddie stood on Cloud's left side while she rested the reins on the saddle horn. With a glance at Jack, she murmured, "You might want to back away now."

Jack acquiesced and went to stand over beside Féileacán, Gypsy, and Sundance. "Whenever you're ready."

With a mental nod to prepare herself for the rodeo that was to come, Maddie quickly jammed her left boot up into the stirrup, jumped up onto the filly's back, jammed her other boot in the right stirrup, and gathered up the reins all in one fluid motion. The second her rump touched the saddle seat, Cloud shrieked with panic and reared up tall before bolting up and then coming down hard on her front legs. The rodeo began with an explosion of renewed power and panic as Cloud did her best to throw off the unwanted weight on her back, even though she didn't quite understand just who hopped up onto her. Though she wasn't as spirited and crazy as her sire when Jack was breaking him in, Cloud still had power to be reckoned with. She bucked high and landed hard, only to spring back up into the air and start all over. All the while, Maddie kept a good grip on the saddle horn with one hand and the reins in the other, making sure to keep her hand up in the air to steady herself and stay balanced while the horse bucked and brayed.

Ten minutes passed before both females were too exhausted to continue. At long last, Cloud gave one desperate half-buck before she landed back down on all fours and stood heaving, her head held low and her body quivering. Maddie looked similar: she too shivered from exertion and adrenaline, and as she sat up straight in the saddle and flicked back her long hair over her shoulder, she looked down at the broken horse and sighed, grateful that it was over between them. She leaned down and stroked the tobiano palomino's spotted, sweat-drenched neck and uttered words of comfort and friendship.

"That a girl, Cloud. You did well. I'm proud of you, little sister."

She could feel her husband's eyes on her, so Maddie sat back up in the saddle and looked over at him. She smiled and shook her head as he began to clap.

"Hot damn, Madeline! Good ride, cowgirl! Good ride!"

She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, shut up. She wasn't near as wild as some of the other horses I'd tamed." Utilizing the neck-reining Jack had taught the horse months ago, Maddie turned her to the left and, with a gentle squeeze of her heels, urged her into a walk towards him.

"I know, but still," he gushed, "you're just somethin' to watch when you ride like that."

Maddie bowed her head and smiled, blushing a brilliant shade of crimson. "Oh, shut it, you smooth-talker. You're makin' me blush."

"And for good reason," he joked from the other side of the fence. As was expected, Sundance, Gypsy, and Féileacán stood beside him watching the spectacle in the corral. He nodded to Cloud suggestively and asked, "You gonna ride her around the corral now, then?"

"Obviously," Maddie responded with a roll of her eyes. She reined Cloud to the right and walked her on around the corral. As the horse began to cool down, she watched and listened to the horse, feeling her gait and how she moved her body forward. Quite soon, she fell into rhythm with the filly, and it was only a moment later that they had become one. The two females moved in synch, even as Maddie asked the filly to change gaits and increase speed. She tested the foal to see if she remembered everything Jack had taught her, including side-stepping and backing up. It took several tries for the young horse to pick up on the cues and do everything Maddie kindly asked her to, but she caught on fast, and soon, she was loping around the corral looking like a more experienced horse. When at last Maddie was satisfied with the horse's progress, she pulled her to a stop and dismounted.

"Good girl, Cloud," she said with tears of pride in her eyes. "You did excellent." She patted the horse's wet neck lovingly. "We'll continue tomorrow. Hell, I might even take you into town and see how you do."

"Do you think that's wise, Maddie?" Jack piped up behind her. "Don't you think it's a bit early for her to experience all that at once?"

"There's only one way to find out just how she does around other horses and people." As she spoke, Maddie began unsaddling the spent filly. Wishing to grant the horse the freedom and time to relax and rest after such an arduous training session, she hastily loosened the cinches and pulled off the saddle and blanket. After setting them on the ground, she turned back to the horse and took off the bridle. Cloud gratefully nudged her arm before walking off in the corral and searching for the perfect spot to roll in. As Maddie returned the tack to its saw horse in the barn, the exhausted horse laid down carefully and began to roll, caking her beautiful painted coat with dirt that instantly turned to mud from the sheer amount of sweat.

As she reemerged from the barn, Maddie opened the corral gate, letting the other horses in but also allowing Cloud to escape once she was done rolling. Maddie waited for the small band of horses to pass by before she left the corral and joined Jack near the water trough. For a time, they said nothing as they watched the horses interact and boss each other around before loping back out onto the property to graze.

By that time, the sun had begun to settle into the afternoon and well on its way to evening. Judging by the monstrous roaring their stomachs produced, the married couple decided it best to retire inside and reward themselves with a hot meal and a much-needed bath.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?"

For the tenth time that morning, Maddie rolled her eyes, sighed, and nodded. "Yes, Jack, it's fine." She shook her head in annoyance as she finished tightening the front cinch on Cloud's saddle. She buckled the back cinch up, making sure it wasn't too loose or too snug on the filly's belly.

"Well, if this horse comes runnin' back here without you, I'm gonna say I told you so when you come walkin' back here." He watched his wife ignore him as she finished up with Cloud's saddle and make minor but necessary adjustments. Cloud stood patiently waiting before the hitching post; she chewed anxiously on the bit and held her ears pricked forward in excitement for her first real ride. The horse looked like she couldn't wait to get out there in the real world and have a grand old adventure with her favorite human astride her. Jack crossed his arms and shook his head, still wary of the idea of Maddie and Cloud going out. "I got a bad feeling about this, Maddie."

"You always get bad feelings, Jack," she replied as she untied her horse and criss-crossed the reins atop the saddle horn. She went to grab the cantle with her right hand and put her left boot in the stirrup.

Jack, however, held her back with a firm grip around her right bicep. "Maddie," he admonished, "just don't overdo it with her today, alright? I don't want you getting hurt and stranded out in the middle of the plains with no horse and no help."

"I'll be fine, Jack," she reassured as she turned to face him. She nodded down to her semi-automatic pistols hanging at her sides. "I've got my guns if the need arises, and I doubt Cloud will throw me. She's a good horse; she trusts me, and I trust her, and that's all that matters."

"Yes, but even _you_ know that the tamest horse will throw its rider." Before she could interject, he raised a hand and pointed down at her with an index finger and added, "And don't you be tellin' me otherwise. I've seen Gypsy throw you off multiple times for the stupidest of reasons. You remember when she spooked over a damn rattlesnake and sent you flying?"

Maddie sighed heavily and said, "Yes, I remember. I'll ride carefully. I always do."

He nodded. "I know, but I'm just—"

"Always so worried about me," she finished. She leaned up against him and kissed him lovingly, making him sigh through his nose and relax from his tense stance. As she pulled away, she cupped his face with both hands and, looking him in the eyes, said, "I'll be fine, Jack. It's not like I'm headin' into Tall Trees or goin' down to Thieves Landing for a day and a night. It's just a quick ride to town and back, that's all."

He blinked, unfazed by her persuasion. "No screwin' around, alright? And no lollygaggin' at the saloon, either. I'm worried enough as it is."

She groaned and tipped her head back in annoyance. "My God, will you shut up already? I'll be _fine_, Jack."

He gripped her hands in his. "Promise me."

She frowned but answered, "I promise."

After a long moment of hesitation, Jack stepped back and nodded. "Alright. Just please get back here before chores, okay? I don't want to have to hay all the cattle and horses by myself while worrying about you."

She scoffed as she mounted up. "Yes, dear," she said with excessive compliance. Tugging her hat down further onto her head, she frowned down at her husband and gathered up the reins in her right hand. "I'll be home no later than five. Is that acceptable to you, mister?"

He chuckled back and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." His eyes softened and glittered with endless affection and wonder up at her. "Have a safe and fun ride, darlin'."

"Will do," she laughed and spurred Cloud down the road at an excitable lope.

* * *

Blackwater seemed so much more gaudy and large than the last time she visited as she loped Cloud down the sloping road, across the railroad tracks, and into town. She couldn't help but note the varying traffic on her way there: more and more automobiles passed her than horses, and while Cloud spooked beneath her, she did her best not to get angry at the ignorant people driving by as well. Still, it was a challenge not to be irritated: it was as if they had no respect or regard for her and her horse, for they took up half the road with their loud, clunky contraptions and made her and her horse choke on the smoke as they passed. Once she had Cloud back under control (she'd reared and squealed at the sight and sound of such a frightening hunk of metal), Maddie urged her on.

The streets of Blackwater were bustling with men and women in a myriad of attire; Maddie grew jealous of the housewives wearing the latest fashion from Paris, and she grew annoyed at the businessmen in three-piece suits. It was a struggle to keep Cloud in a straight line down the streets: she had to weave around people, automobiles, carriages and carts, and horses. The cacophony of the crowds was almost overwhelming for both horse and rider; they grew tense and befuddled at all the movement, sounds, and smells that assailed their senses. Already growing tired of the struggle to ride down Main Street, Maddie reined her filly down a quiet alleyway and concentrated on making her way towards the plaza and gazebo in front of the police department and auditorium.

The flustered females were able to get some relief as they ambled up to the gazebo; Maddie dismounted Cloud and stood beside her and rested for a bit. A small handful of people were milling about, some enjoying the space and their privacy, while others sat socializing on the park benches. A young boy and his dog played nearby, drawing Cloud's attention. The filly watched with growing curiosity and anxiety as the boy threw the stick out across the plaza and the dog fetched it. Maddie paid close attention to her horse and her body language, making sure she wasn't about to spook and run off. The horse's ears were constantly swiveling and her eyes were on the move as she did her best to take in everything new around her. Her body held a considerable amount of tension, and as a gesture of reassurance, the filly brushed her pink muzzle against Maddie's forearm and nickered.

"Easy, girl," her rider cooed and petted her on the neck and down her head. "It's all right, Cloud. Nothing's gonna happen to you, I'll make sure of it, hon." She stepped closer to the horse, like a mare would to her foal, and kept a hand on her sweaty withers. Her fingers combed through her black and white mane, undoing the tangles it had received from the ride beforehand.

After a time, some of the locals approached her and questioned her about her business and about her horse. Many comments floated her way about her horse's beauty, as well as her uncanny dress for a woman. Most of the time, she was given skeptical, if not judgmental, looks from the uptight men and women that occupied the park. What little children were out and about with their parents in the park approached Cloud with outstretched hands, wishing to pet the filly. Warily, Maddie allowed them to, but she kept a close eye on Cloud's reactions as the miniature hands touched and caressed her muzzle and forelock. To her amazement and pride, the filly lowered her head and allowed the children to pet her, all the while flaring her nostrils and taking in their strange scents and appearances; never before had she seem such small humans. However, after a short while, the women moved away, beckoning their resilient children onward, as they needed to run errands and get back on schedule.

Maddie watched a particularly wealthy and stringy woman drag her child away, with the little girl screaming and weeping with defeat and frustration. The child looked back at her and her horse and pouted, wishing to remain in the presence of the relics of the past and dwell in their glory. Maddie nodded at the child encouragingly and grinned, expressing that she follow her mother's lead. With a heavy heart, she watched as the girl turned around and submitted to her mother at last. They walked hastily away and across the street between a gap in the traffic.

"What viciously changing people," Maddie commented and shook her head. She looked around at how much the town had grown and changed. Where once there were dirt roads beside the train station and in parts of the town, brick roads had taken their place. Many more houses had sprung up around town, especially on the outskirts of it, making it swell and begin to take over the plains. There were fewer hitching posts and water troughs; no doubt the mayor had had them taken down to make way for parking for the automobiles. In a curious change of roles, the experienced rider leaned against the inexperienced horse in reassurance, and the filly nuzzled her just as she had done half an hour ago.

"It's all just too much, girl," Maddie continued, turning to face the horse. The females shared exhausted, overwhelmed gazes. "I can't believe so much has happened and changed in just four years."

"You'd be surprised what can happen in such a short amount of time," a man interjected from behind.

Maddie blinked and turned around to face the man responsible for her intrusion of privacy with her horse. Irritation turned to happiness as Archer Fordham came to stand before her. "Mister Fordham! How are you?"

"Well enough, I suppose," the head of the Blackwater police tiredly responded. A troubled frown tugged at the corners of his mouth; he took off his hat and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. His clean-shaven face looked worn, ragged, and dreary. His stance was slightly slouched, and his uniform looked not as ship-shape as he usually kept it. His badge looked dull in comparison to how it usually shined in the sunlight.

Maddie noticed this and, as she faced him fully, she looked him over with a worried expression. "Archer, are you all right? You look like you've been to hell and back." She crossed her arms admonishingly and gave him a disappointed look. "Have you been taking night watches again? You know a man in a position such as yourself needs a good night's sleep."

Archer managed to chuckle and shake his head. "No, Maddie, I haven't been doing that. I have men who look over this town once the sun sets. We have shifts, you know."

"Then what's the matter? Usually you look rather well and upbeat."

"I'm actually glad you asked, and that you came into town today." He looked over her shoulder at her new mount and studied the palomino tobiano with reverence. "New horse, I see. Is that why you came into town, to try her out?"

Maddie nodded and brushed the horse's soft muzzle affectionately. She glanced back at Cloud with a proud smile and patted her neck. "This is Cloud, daughter of Sundance and Féileacán. She just became tamed, and I thought I'd give her a tour of town and try her out in a new environment. Isn't she darling?"

"That she is." Archer's face took on a more serious countenance as he locked gazes with her. "Maddie, would it be all right if you and I could discuss something in my office? I was actually going to call you and ask that you come into town, but since you're here, I think for convenience's sake, I say we catch up and I inform you on the…situation at hand."

Maddie blinked and stepped forward with a grave frown. "What situation? Archer, what happened?"

The police man gestured to the building to his left, and as he turned and led her towards the police department, Maddie followed, leading her horse. As they came upon the steps leading into the building, Archer called over one of the sheriffs and said, "Take good care of Missus Marston's horse. See to it that she's well-watered and fed and hitched nearby."

"Yes, sir," the man responded and kindly took the reins from Maddie. He and Cloud disappeared around the corner of the building.

"Now, then," Archer said as he waved Maddie after him. They ascended the stairs and walked across the threshold; once inside, they climbed the set of stairs and up into Archer's office. As they entered, he retreated to his desk and sat heavily in the chair behind it. He gestured to the door and said, "Shut the door, if you would, please."

Maddie did so before carefully approaching his throne. She glanced about the room, noting that his awards and metals had grown in number and brilliance, just like Blackwater had. A stack of papers sitting spread out across his desk also caught her attention, and as she stepped forward, she peered down at them.

"Have a seat, if you will."

She acquiesced and situated herself in one of the two chairs sitting unoccupied before his desk. Giving him one last look-over, she asked, "So what's wrong, Archer? I haven't seen you this haggled since we stormed the mines in Gaptooth Ridge. Is the war in Europe worsening? Has the U.S. started to become involved?"

He blinked in surprise, looking caught off-guard by her assailment of questions. He leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of him on the edge of the desk. "Actually, yes, to answer your last two questions. The Great War has been raging, as I'm sure you've heard and read, but I can wager that soon, we Americans will get involved. It's only a matter of time before we supply them with more than just weapons and the like. But to answer your first question, let me ask you a question."

She blinked and waited for his inquiry.

"Have you heard of the latest disturbance here in Blackwater? It happened a week ago, and I'm not sure if you've read it in the paper or not."

She shook her head. "I haven't been in town since I brought in that horse thief, and that was about four weeks ago. Jack and I have just been busy with the livestock and all that, so no, I guess I haven't been keeping up with the newspaper. Why? What's going on?"

"A small posse led by a most psychotic woman rode through town and killed ten of my best men, not to mention eight civilians and two horses. This woman and her gang of low-lives tore through my town and drenched it with its own blood. I don't think I've ever witnessed a more terrifying scene, and that's coming from me, Madeline. I was there when it happened, and I saw my men and townsfolk get mercilessly murdered by these fiendish criminals." As he spoke, his body began to grow rigid with hate, and his voice rose in intensity and emotion. He banged a fist on his desk and motioned to the papers strewn before him. "This has happened in every town from here to Rathskeller Fork. This woman and her men ride around killing people without reason or pattern, although they are more prone to killing lawmen than harmless civilians. Their motives are as scarce as eyewitness accounts and hearsay. But the only thing I can tell you is that these people are ruthless and seek nothing but destruction and death. Some of my best friends and colleagues were gunned down a week ago today as easily as if they were nothing more than wild game. It was almost as if the criminals were doing it for sport, Maddie. I know you've had your fair share of nut jobs and psychos, but this bitch takes the cake, and I apologize for my profanity, but I've been doing my research on this woman and her followers, but they're like goddamned _ghosts!_ They're hardly seen outside of towns, and when they reach them, they're in and out before anyone knows what just happened, and all that's left is a bunch of dead bodies and screaming townspeople demanding answers." He gestured hopelessly and sighed. "So far, I have very little information, but what I can tell you is that this is no ordinary criminal, as I'm sure you've guessed by now."

Maddie sat in stunned silence, her eyes wide and her breath scarce in her lungs. She stared back at Archer across the desk and shook her head. "So what do we know about this woman? Do you have any leads at all?"

Archer looked down and selected a sheet of paper from the pile. He turned it around and set it in front of her.

Maddie looked down at it and instantly recognized it as a wanted poster. Her jaw dropped as she studied the sketch of the face of the infamous woman. "She looks just like me."

"And apparently she dresses similarly to you," the police man answered back gravely.

"What, is she some sort of impostor? Is she trying to impersonate and frame me?!"

Archer shook his head. "As far as I know, no, but like I said, I don't know about her motives or methods. She's just become famous for having such a reckless trigger itch and an insatiable thirst for blood and death." He nodded to the paper she'd picked up and held in her hands. "She goes by the name _La Phantasma_, or _La Asesina_, as I've been told by many eyewitness accounts. Still, this is all gossip. You tend to get many far-fetched stories in saloons and camps, but I've been doing my best to figure out who she is. She wears dark clothing, much like yours, and rides a white stallion known as _Muerte_. As far as I know, around four or five men are seen riding along with her, dressed much like her, with dark clothing, and all are on white horses. She and her followers appear to be Latino; my theory is that they've crossed the border and are trying to raise all sorts of hell, and as to why, I haven't a clue. Perhaps they wish to start a rebellion of some sort, since things down in Mexico haven't been the greatest? Hell, I don't know. And from what it states on that poster, she's wanted for an innumerable amount of murders, theft, arson, and abduction."

Maddie's eyes widened as she read the inscriptions below the woman's apparent appearance. "The bounty's eight-thousand dollars!"

"And for good reason. Maddie, this woman must be stopped. I want this woman and her posse found, and I want them brought to justice. I don't care how you do it, I don't even care if they're dead when you bring them in, I just want them taken care of."

The bounty hunter looked up from the poster and blinked. "Why me? Couldn't you and your officers have gone after them?"

"We would've been more than happy to do so, but therein lies the problem."

"Why? Where are they?"

He shook his head. "When word got around and their fame rose, they fled straight to Mexico, just," he snapped his fingers angrily, "vanished like ghosts."

"So you're wanting me to go after _La Phantasma_ and her gang in _México_, where there is just as much civil unrest as Europe? Archer, I appreciate you wanting me specifically to do this sort of work, since I'm sure you could've have any other bounty hunter do it, but I've got a ranch to take care of and a husband to look after. Plus, I don't think it would be wise if I went down to _México _at this time. A _gringa_ such as myself wouldn't be very welcome down there, even if the border is easy to cross. Besides, it's been years since I've been there, so I doubt anyone would recognize or welcome me."

Archer leaned forward and rested his weight on his elbows atop the desk. He sighed through his nose and looked her in the eye. "I understand your hesitance, but wasn't it you that said to me the last time that you've been craving adventure? Wasn't it you who wished for things to be the way they were, free and reckless? And not to press guilt upon you, but this is a serious matter, one in which I am personally invested in, along with the rest of my police department and my citizens. Were they still in my jurisdiction, I'd hunt down _La Asesina_ and her gang and hogtie them myself and drag each and every one of them back here behind my horse and have them dealt with. Maddie, times may have changed, but not the ways of cutthroats and criminals. They're still out there, bloodthirsty and stupid as ever, and they need to be dealt with before more people die. I've put my good faith in you for obvious reasons: not once have you ever let me down. You've been keeping an eye open for any such bounty hunt, however meager and pointless they may have seemed to you. You've helped keep this town and the surrounding towns a safe place to live in; the people look to you with good faith and admiration."

"They do not," Maddie countered. Her eyes narrowed as she corrected him, "They look at me like I'm some kind of tramp, some sort of relic that's been long dead and has risen from the grave to haunt them. I may be doing these people a favor, but they still treat me like trash just because I wear unlady-like attire and don't have five children clinging to me. I go against society; therefore, I am shit in their eyes. My reputation has been muddied by these rich townsfolk and their aristocratic view of life; my glory has been stolen from me and stomped on by the very people I protect."

"Wouldn't you want to cleanse their outlook of you, then?" Archer tapped the paper with a finger. "Perhaps this is a way to do so. That, plus, this so-called _Phantasma_ needs to be put down before she kills again." He looked her deep in the eyes. "Madeline, I _know_ you can do this. You've never failed me, and I doubt that's going to change when you bring this woman back and throw her in jail. Dead or alive does not matter to me; just get the job done." He gestured to her with an upturned hand. "Plus, eight-thousand dollars is quite a handsome sum. You and Jack would be able to live off that wealth for years to come; your ranch wouldn't be a problem."

"It isn't a problem, Archer," she glowered. "It's the people that are making this town grow that's the problem. If they'd give me and Jack our fair share of space and tear down those goddamned barbed wire fences, then we'd be square."

"Tell you what: you bring _La Phantasma_ in, and not only will you be rewarded the eight-thousand dollars, I'll see to it that your land is protected, and that those fences are taken down for your cattle. You won't be ridiculed over your appearance and stature anymore, and you're more than welcome to join my team. A female sheriff or marshal working in Blackwater would certainly raise a few eyebrows and make people think twice before badmouthing your choices in life."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mister Fordham," Maddie chuckled. She looked back down at the wanted poster in her hands. She frowned as she thought of his offer, and though it was very tempting, the logical voice in her head told her otherwise. _Even with all his promises, things won't change much. The land will continue to change and be taken over, and people will still stick their noses up at me. But who am I to resist going back to México? Who am I to resist the very thing I crave for and used to do on a regular basis? Qué será, será, supongo._

With a smirk, she folded the wanted poster and stuffed it in an inner pocket of her duster.

Archer's eyes sparkled with hope. He beamed at her. "Will the famous Madeline Marston ride again?"

"You bet your ass she will."

He extended a hand toward her. "I can't thank you enough, Maddie. I owe you so much."

She took his hand and shook it. "You owe me nothing but your word and your friendship, Fordham." She nodded down at the rest of the papers. "Although I suppose you could give me those to look over before I head to _México._"

He gathered them up into a neat pile in his hands and gave them to her. "Of course. Can I help you with anything else? Will you be needing accommodations for your ranch? Do I need to have several of my men take care of Beecher's Hope while you're away?"

She shook her head, her long hair sliding across her shoulders and chest. "No, that won't be necessary. I'll think of something."

Archer blinked, suddenly struck with an idea. "Wait. So will you have Jack stay while you go to Mexico?"

She shrugged as she rolled up the papers and stuffed them in her duster. "Again, I'll think of something." She chuckled and smiled sheepishly at him. "He's gonna kill me when I tell him about all this."


	2. Part 2: On The Road Again

**Sorry for the long wait, everybody. Between getting back into the grind of school, and work, and being sick with yet another goddamned summer cold, it's been a slow start to this fan fiction, so I apologize. But don't worry, it's still in the works.**

* * *

**Part 2:**

**On The Road Again**

* * *

**Chapter Track**: On the Road Again – Willy Nelson

* * *

The wanted poster sat silently and innocently between the married couple atop the dining table, right between their empty plates. The grandfather clock in the living room ticked away the time as Jack and Maddie sat staring at each other. Supper had just been devoured, the sun was starting to sink below the horizon, and husband and wife were having a stand-off of sorts.

Jack leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he glanced down once more at the poster. He studied the drawing of the beautiful Latino woman and read the reason for her bounty. His eyes widened at the price on her head. Blinking, he looked back up at his wife and stared at her, waiting for her to explain herself.

"So this is why you came home an hour late?"

Sheepishly, she tucked her chin down into her collarbone and nodded. She bit her lip, feeling guilty, but as the flame of rebellion flared outward from her chest, she bravely rose her gaze back up to meet his in challenge. She raised her chin defiantly and said, "But it was for a good reason, Jack. Look at the reward."

"You know how much it worries me when you're gone longer than you say you'll be." Concern softened his admonishing gaze, and he frowned as he looked her over. He shook his head. "I can't let anything else bad happen to you."

"That was five years ago, Jack. It's in the past."

"But I don't want it to be in the present."

She looked to the side. Her eyes pierced into Django's, who sat off to the side almost perfectly in-between her and Jack. The dog looked as if he were a child watching his parents argue; his brown eyes looked from Maddie to Jack and back as they spoke, and he cocked his head slightly to the side as the conversation carried on. Maddie frowned at the dog, feeling bad for having him there to watch, but like all of their other disagreements from the past four years of their marriage, the dog stood by loyally. She and Jack had hardly ever risen their voice at one another, but when such disagreements turned to arguments, the dog still stayed put, as if he knew he was there to try to keep the peace. With a sigh, Maddie looked back to her husband and nodded down to the poster.

"Eight-thousand dollars is quite a lot," she argued, hoping to sway him. "Archer said it was of grave importance that this _Phantasma_ be taken care of and brought to justice." Briefly, she summarized her and Archer's conversation before she added, "It's time someone like me steps in and stops her before things get any worse."

Jack's eyes narrowed a fraction; his frown deepened. "Where?"

It sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Maddie, where is the bounty at now?"

It was her turn to frown. "Mexico."

His eyes widened considerably, and he leaned back further in his chair. "Mexico?!"

She nodded curtly.

Jack shook his head. "That's too far."

Her brow wrinkled. "The bounty's _eight-thousand dollars_, Jack."

"_I don't care_, Madeline. You're not goin' down to Mexico all by yourself after some psychotic woman who'll shoot you in a heartbeat."

Maddie's eyebrows narrowed over her simmering brown eyes. Her anger was on the rise, and though she had learned to be a patient woman within the four years, this was not something she'd easily ignore and back away from. Her voice changed to a more confident tone as she asserted, "Let her try. I can take her."

In his frustration, Jack tossed his head and looked to the side, down at Django, who sat staring up at him with a worried glimmer in his eyes. Man and dog shared a brief look, and as Jack tried to make sense of his wife's impulsive decisions, he looked around his home and became flustered all at once when he was reminded of all the responsibilities he had to uphold. He ran a hand over his beard and mustache and shook his head. "Maddie, this is just stupid. You _know_ we've got this ranch to keep up, and even if I were to just let you go down there alone—which I absolutely _will not_ let you do—what do you expect will happen? That it'll be a breeze and you'll be back home the next day? Darlin', you haven't gone after a bounty this serious since Jackson Randall, and not to bring up your…"

"Rape," she finished harshly. "Just say it, damn it."

He bit his lip, hating to voice the word. "Fine, your…rape. Maddie, I just don't want somethin' like that to happen to you again. Or worse."

"Jack, I'm going after a female bounty for once. The chances of me getting raped are slim. Besides, the reward is worth going down to Mexico and facing her."

"And what about her gang? Will you face them all alone like a fool? I know you're more than capable of handling things by yourself—"

"And yet you're so goddamned overprotective!"

"I have a right to be, don't I?!" he yelled, sitting up in his seat. He banged a fist on the table, causing Django to flinch and watch him carefully. "Maddie, I just don't like this whole idea of you goin' after a big bounty when you've been goin' after petty criminals for the last four years. You're a bit out of practice, if you don't mind me sayin' so. Plus you won't set foot in Tall Trees, much less ride anywhere else within twenty miles from here. How do you expect to just up and leave for Mexico when you can't even—"

"Because it's time, Jack!" Maddie thundered and stood up out of her chair. The chair fell backwards and clattered loudly on the wooden floor, making Django spook and retreat into the living room by the couch. He watched at a safe distance while she put her hands on top of the table and stared down at her husband with growing frustration. "It's time I go after something that's worth my time and my efforts! I'm SICK of being treated like some old dusty book on a shelf, some old rusty, bony nag that no one wants! Jack, I'm _dying_ here! Everywhere I look, there's a fuckin' barbed wire fence here, a shiny goddamned automobile there! _Our way of life is dying!_ Things aren't what they used to be, and it's pissing me off! I used to be acknowledged and admired in Blackwater; now all they do is curl their lip up at me because I'm not an uptight housewife who submits to her husband's every whim and has four children in the span of four years! I'm not just some dusty cowpoke or a rancher's wife, I'm nobody to them, Jack! _Nobody!_"

"But you _are_ a woman they admire, Maddie. I mean, look at you! You're independent, you're strong-willed, and you have the work ethic of a big farm horse. That's why Archer wants you to join the police force: you never quit, and you never tire."

"But I _am_ tired, Jack," she sighed as she stared deeply into his eyes. "I am tired and worn and old like a rusty nail in a rotting wooden fencepost. I'm as ancient as the life we live, or _try_ to keep living. It's a _miracle_ this ranch has kept on the way it has, and that we're still here. We're still here fighting the good fight for whatever it's worth. And yet…" She bowed her head and shook it, her long hair falling down to tickle the back of her hands. "And yet here we are, the relics of a decadent past still fighting for existence in a world that's already moved on and forgotten us." She brought her head back up and her eyes once more on her husband's. She sighed greatly, feeling drained. "All I want is an open landscape where I can ride my horse around with the freedom to choose whichever direction I wish to take; all I wish for is to be useful again and be worthy of people's respect; all I yearn for nowadays is an adventure that makes me feel like life is great once more."

"You shouldn't say such bad things," Jack said encouragingly. "We're still important. _You're_ still important." He reached out over the table and put his right hand atop hers. He turned her hand upwards and clasped it. He gave it a comforting squeeze and grinned up at her with all the adoration he'd felt for her the four years they'd been married. "You'll _always_ be important to me."

She allowed a smile to burst between the cracks of her frustration and anger as she raised her head and looked back at him. She squeezed back and said, "I would hope for nothing less. And you I, Jack."

He gestured with his other hand to her upturned chair. "Here, sit down, honey."

She released his hand long enough to right her seat and return into it. As she placed her hand back into his and interlaced fingers with him, she was captivated by the expression his face held as he stared back at her. Maddie watched his countenance morph from worry to acceptance to denial and back many times. He bit his lip as he stirred her words around in his head; his eyes searched hers constantly. Briefly, he looked down and studied the wanted poster between them, and when he released her hand to pick up the poster and examine it one last time, he sighed and looked off to the side at Django, who had recovered his bravery and once again sat between them beside the table.

"You do realize that even if I say yes, you're not goin' anywhere alone, right?" he asked as he looked back at her.

She nodded.

"And if I say yes, we'll have to make arrangements so that this ranch is still being taken care of while we're out chasing this crazy bitch."

"Of course." Her eyes sparkled as she looked him over and asked, "So what do you say? Do you have one last ride in you like I do?"

The complexity of emotions that ran rampant across her husband's handsome face made it impossible for her to read immediately. He sighed through his nose and shook his head. A knowing frown tugged at his lips.

"You're not gonna give up on this, are you?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Hell no." She took great care and time staring back at him, paying close attention to how torn and doubtful he looked. She narrowed her eyes a fraction and gave him an empathetic smirk, letting him know that she knew he was beyond indecisive and morbidly worried.

At long last, Jack sighed and laid the poster back down on the table. He looked it over one last time before he turned his attention to his wife and answered, "Let me sleep on it, darlin'. You'll have your answer in the morning, I promise."

Maddie bowed her head in appreciation and acceptance of his compromise. "Of course, my love."

* * *

"And we should have plenty of hay in the loft if the grass isn't keepin' the cattle and the horses full," Jack found himself saying two days later as he saddled up Sundance. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked Eli Jones in the eye, as well as the other two ranch hands that Bonnie MacFarlane had sent to help keep his ranch afloat while he and his wife were away.

The men exchanged looks and murmured their understanding.

"And if you like, you can take the horses for a ride," Maddie jumped in. She stood behind Jack as she saddled Gypsy. She glanced back at him with an excited smile.

Jack could only half-heartedly return it before he turned away and finished tightening up the front cinch. As he moved toward the back cinch, he caught himself looking around his ranch with longing. Already, he was homesick, and he hadn't even left yet. The autumn breeze that morning held a biting chill; his duster kept the cold at bay considerably, but his face and legs were beginning to feel the onset of the upcoming winter. As he expected, it would undoubtedly be a harsh winter, and he hoped he'd be back home in time to make sure his livestock were ready before any snow fell.

"Make yourselves at home, boys," Maddie continued behind him with a smile in her voice. She could hardly contain the excitement as she hastily finished with the saddle and threw on the saddlebags. She tied them to the saddle, as well as her bed roll, and checked all her provisions in the saddle bags. She had packed lightly but not foolishly. There was plenty of rations for her and her husband, as well as an extra set of clothes and ammunition (though she and Jack were already wearing their bandoleers), a compass, a map of Mexico, and her usual accoutrements she always brought with her on hunts. Her body trembled as she mounted her black mare, but it wasn't the cold the bothered her. Her euphoria was bubbling and frothing. No more would she be dreaming of riding her horse across open land; no more would she be yearning for adventure and purpose. She would soon be quenching her thirst for all she desired once they left the ranch.

"Yeah, settle in," Jack added, pitching his last two cents in for advice and instructions. With not as much gusto as his wife, he mounted his horse and gathered the reins. He looked from Eli Jones to the other two men in turn, locking eyes with them all. "This place is as much a home as it is ours. Just be sure you take great care of it while we're gone."

Eli was the first to actually speak up. During the tour of the house and the property, he and his fellow ranch hands hadn't said much of anything, but with a broadening smile and a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes, the Negro nodded and said, "A course, Mistuh Mawsten. We's gon' take care a yuh ranch. Jus' promise me 'n' the boys one thing when you's get back."

Jack blinked. "Sure. What is it?"

Eli jerked a thumb back over his shoulder at the house and chuckled, "Ya'll need to start fillin' up that house. All them rooms is collectin' dust. When ya'll gon' have some chil'ren?"

The Marstons blushed in unison and exchanged embarrassed and horrified looks; the ranch hands broke into raucous laughter and smacked each other's shoulders. In between gasps, Eli demanded, "What's the problem, huh, Jack? Ya ain't doin' yo job good 'nuff?"

Jack hid his face behind his hat. "Jesus."

Maddie was brave enough to push past her embarrassment, much to her husband's relief. Though her face still flared a bright red, she raised her chin and boldly stated, "There's nothing wrong with my husband, and I'll have you know we don't need children."

The laughter died down after she spoke, mostly from exhaustion but also from shock. As Eli straightened up from his doubled-over stance, he gasped for breath before he asked, "Well, whatchu waitin' fo? The end of tha world?"

Maddie's face scrunched into a look of absolute annoyance. She looked Eli in the eyes and growled, "Every time I see you, Mister Jones, you always ask me the same damn question. Well, I'm growing quite tired of hearing it. I tell you what: we'll have children when you and Bonnie and Drew and _everybody_ _else_ stops pestering us about it!"

Eli guffawed and threw back his head. He slapped his thigh and said, "Well, then! I guess we all best stop tawkin' 'n' git ta work, then!"

"You're damn right you do," Jack hissed, finally able to find his voice.

"Oh, ya'll are just bein' sour," the second ranch hand chortled.

"Yeah, we're just pokin' fun is all," the other added with a barely-concealed smile.

"This place had better be in good shape when I get back, or else," Jack warned as he reined his horse around. Beneath him, Sundance pranced in place, hardly caring to obey his rider's hold on him—even though Jack kept a tight rein on the stallion, he kept high-stepping and dancing around. Irritated and wanting to run, Sundance pinned back his ears, swished his tail, and chewed anxiously at the bit. He shook his mane and blew loudly. Jack responded by pulling back further on the reins. "You stop that shit, boy. We haven't even left yet; you'd better not act up on me on the road, goddamn it."

Eli waved his warning away with a careless wave of his hand. "Ya worry too much, Jack. We gon' take care of yo livestock fo ya."

"You'd better, you old coot."

Maddie elbowed her husband in the side and shot him a warning look. "You hush it now. C'mon, let's get going. We've got a long day of riding ahead of us. We're wasting precious time nagging back and forth with these foolish boys." She looked down at the men whom she and Jack entrusted their ranch to and tipped her hat to them all. "We'll be back as soon as we can. Again, thank you for coming on such short notice. We appreciate it. We'll make sure to pay you double what Bonnie gives you."

Again, Eli didn't seem to care. He shook his head and politely said, "No thanks, Missus Mawsten. It ain't no big deal. We's glad to be doin' this fo ya."

She smiled down at him appreciatively. "Until next time, then," she said as she reined her horse around and gently urged her forward down the path that led to the road. Gypsy, however, needed hardly any prompting to go. The excited mare half-reared the second her rider's spurs touched her sides, and she took off at a gallop.

Sundance wasn't far behind her; within two long strides of his muscular body, he'd caught up with the mare, and the two horses raced each other to the gate. Their riders were fortunate enough to be able to pull them up and open up the gate; otherwise, they knew their horses would've jumped the fence without their consent. Once they were on the other side of the fence that encased Beecher's Hope and the gate was once again closed, the horses took off once again down the road. Their riders let them tire themselves out, all the while reining them in the direction they desired.

Jack and Maddie alongside each other out of the Great Plains, through Thieves Landing, and into Hennigan's Stead. By the time they'd ridden through the MacFarlane ranch, Gypsy and Sundance had worn themselves out and slowed to a relaxing walk. Now spent of all the pent-up energy, the horses settled into a peaceful, ambling gait down the road, now more obedient and aware of their riders and their surroundings. At first, the journey was spent in silence as they made their way around Pike's Basin. By the time the sun had begun to settle directly above them, they were able to clearly see Armadillo as they ascended into Cholla Springs.

"So," Maddie began as she looked over at her husband, "have you ever been to Mexico?"

Jack hesitated. "Y-yeah. Once." He couldn't bring his gaze to meet hers, so he stared forward and kept his attention focused on the road ahead through Sundance's pricked ears.

Maddie blinked. "Really? You've never told me that. What for?"

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you go to Mexico?"

He stared shamefully down at the saddle horn and cleared his throat.

"Jack."

He sighed and looked away as he confessed, "I crossed the border and tracked your uncle down five years ago. Does that answer your question?"

Not knowing what to say or how to react, Maddie stared down the road before them. She blinked several times in rapid succession, doing her best not to let her past catch up with her and drag her back to her dark realm of depression. "Oh," she murmured.

"Yeah."

The plodding of their horses' hooves and the sighing breeze were the only sound for a long time as the Marstons made their way closer to Armadillo. As they neared town, however, Maddie reined Gypsy to the left towards Coot's Chapel. Perplexed, Jack and Sundance followed.

"What are we doin' here?" he asked as they hitched their horses beside the chapel and dismounted. All around them the cemetery spread across them like a morbid novel of the former inhabitants of Cholla Springs. No men were present at the time to tend to the church or to the graves, and so it was without a doubt that they were utterly left alone with the silent whisperings of folks who'd long been dead. Only the sigh of the breeze and the occasional blowing of their horses was heard.

Maddie waved him after her as she walked into the cemetery yard. "I figured we needed to stretch our legs and give the horses a rest. Plus it's time I visit an old friend of mine. There's someone I want you to meet." She grinned back at him over her shoulder. "You're gonna like this."

Still not comprehending, Jack followed her towards the edge of the lot, to a gravestone that sat nestled into the ground with a considerable amount of aura to it. As they neared it, he felt a sense of piousness to the very earth he walked upon, and only when he stood before the grave and read the inscription did he understand why. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped; he blinked in rapid succession, hardly believing what he read.

"_Landon Ricketts?"_ he gasped. _"__**The**__ Landon Ricketts?!"_

Beside him, Maddie nodded proudly and grinned down at the gravestone. "Yes, Jack. Here he is. I told you you'd get to meet him some day."

"But Maddie, you said he'd died around the same time my pa did."

She motioned down to the grave. "Well, yeah, but here he is. Look, I know it's not the same, but here at last in the quiet little patch of land in the middle of nowhere, you can see for yourself that he wasn't more than just a legend." She scoffed. "Well, he kind of was. It even says it on the stone, anyways."

Jack chortled and shook his head, still not believing what he was seeing. As if to further prove it to be true, he read the inscription out loud, "'_Here lies Landon Ricketts, the fastest gun in the West. May the Legend forever live on'_." He hastily took off his father's hat and held it before him, feeling ashamed for being in the presence of the man whom his father had idolized and told him about. "God, I wish I would've been able to meet him in person like Pa did! He told me about him when he got back from bringin' in Dutch. From all the stories Pa had told me of him, and of the legends I read about growing up, he _really was_ a great man."

"I wish you would've been able to meet him, too," Maddie agreed softly and sighed. As she read the gravestone over and over again, a sadness she'd kept buried within her steadily rose and took firm hold of her heart. Her body ached for the chance to see the old man again, the father figure she so desperately needed in her time of sorrow and despair. She thought back to the day she and Landon met. She was naught but a hot-headed, stubborn, and undoubtedly heartbroken girl of sixteen back then when she rode her weary horse into Chuparosa. She recalled how pitiful she must've looked to him, with her long hair in tangles, her clothes filthy from trail dust and the like, and her horse covered with sweat and her head held low. She had just ridden into Mexico on little more than three hours of sleep with nothing but the clothes she wore, the money she'd taken from her father and step-mother, and the locket around her neck of her late mother.

"You look a long ways from home," Ricketts had said the moment she hitched her horse. The grey, intelligent eyes looked her over with practiced intuition. The way he'd said those words and the glint his eyes held as he met gazes with her took her by surprise.

_No doubt I must've looked and sounded foolish to him_, Maddie thought with a shake of her head and a sad reminiscent grin.

"You look like some runaway mail-order bride, miss," the old man continued as he leaned forward in his chair. He was sitting at an empty poker table, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"I sure as shit am not!" she snapped and, much to her dismay and shame, burst into tears.

The kind-hearted man that she didn't know from Adam suddenly came to her and took her in his arms. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there, sweet girl. What's the matter?"

Maddie remembered being a blubbering, sobbing mess as she explained everything to him. From that moment onward, the old man had taken her under his experienced arm and, with unspoken consent, had become her surrogate parent.

"Maddie? You all right?"

It took a moment for her to snap back in the present and realize it wasn't Landon that was speaking to her, but her husband, who had taken a step closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Maddie blinked and looked up at him, unaware that her eyes had welled with tears and were releasing bittersweet memories down her face.

"You okay? You're crying."

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes hastily into the crook of her sleeve. "Yeah, just remembering is all. I miss him so much. He practically became my father." She sighed greatly. "I miss his voice. I miss his shooting lessons and his stories. I miss our late-night talks and our bounty hunts and my Spanish lessons. He was the one who taught me to become a self-made woman, and a strong one at that. He made me into who I am."

"I know," Jack said softly and kissed her cheek.

Maddie sniffed again and choked back a sob as she looked back down at the grave. "You would've loved him, Jack. He was _such_ a good man. He was the peace keeper of Chuparosa and the one that everyone turned to for advice. He was a good friend and a terrific leader. He was unmatched with a gun…although I've heard tell that your father was right up alongside him."

Jack grinned. "Pa didn't say much 'bout what all he did down in Mexico, but he _did_ mention his time with Ricketts to me. I'm glad he told me about that."

"I'm glad, too," she agreed and wrapped an arm around his waist. "It's good that our fathers met."

* * *

"So do you actually know any Spanish?" Maddie asked, breaking the silence that had developed between them. After ten minutes more of paying their respects, they had continued on, riding past Riley's Charge, Fort Mercer, and Plainview. She and her husband had ridden in silence, not out of sadness or boredom, but simply out of enjoyment that comes along with horseback riding. Nothing was needed to be said as the two enjoyed riding the miles away and getting back into the familiarity of bounty hunting. However, as they rode down the road that ascended to the bridge that crossed into Mexico, Maddie felt it necessary to ask something she knew she should've asked long before they had gotten close to the border.

"Umm...," Jack hesitantly answered.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Do you?"

He flashed his wife a facetious smile, tipped his hat to her, and said, "Hola, lady."

Her confounded stare was enough to let him know he was way in over his head and utterly unprepared for the journey. "You can't be serious."

"Hey, Pa never really taught me. Plus, there was no need for me to learn, anyways, since I've always been here in the States."

She sighed greatly, shook her head, and buried her face in her hands. "_Excelente_."

He half-turned in the saddle to face her as fully as possible. "Hey, let me at least try." He beckoned to her encouragingly. "Teach me somethin'."

She guffawed and threw back her head. "Really?"

He nodded and sat silently atop his ambling horse.

"It's a little too late for me to be giving you lessons when we're about to cross the border. Granted, that's mostly my fault, but still."

He shrugged. "So?"

"So what I'm saying is that you're uncultured and therefore not ready for this."

Jack rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Maddie. I can do this."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Can you, Jack? Can you really?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes, smart-ass, I can."

She scoffed and directed her attention forward as they neared the bridge. "_Vamos a ver_, Jack."

He blinked. "What?"

"Exactly."

With slight hesitance, they crossed the border just as the sun was beginning to set.


	3. Part 3: Unsettling Information

**Yeah, so this freakin' chapter took WAY longer to write than I anticipated. Trying to figure out where the story is going while simultaneously going to class and work is a bit hectic. Nevertheless, I am truly sorry for such a late update. But I promise you that things will start to pick up the next chapter. Originally, I wanted this chapter to be a little more on the comedic side (involving Jack getting drunk off of tequila in the cantina at Chuparosa and losing a bunch of money at poker), but I realized it slowed the story way down and took all seriousness from the storyline. Granted, the whole reason why I decided to write this fan fic was it to be hilarious and involving Jack butchering Spanish and otherwise being an ignorant gringo. But don't worry, I'll still have those moments in here, because why the hell not?**

**But enough of my blabbering. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part 3:**

**Unsettling Information**

The gates of Chuparosa, a pale and ancient white with multitudinous cracks lining the walls, loomed before Jack and Maddie as the sun set behind them, casting their shadows and elongating them upon the ground. The world around the small town resonated with coyote calls, owls greeting the night, and crickets serenading the nocturnal beings as the hot sun hastily nestled into its bed beyond the horizon. The lethargic gait of Sundance and Gypsy added to the music of the night as they tiredly walked into town.

All at once, as soon as the Marstons passed through the gateway, Chuparosa lay spread out before them like a lover in a darkly-lit hotel room, full of fine promises and mysteries. The settlement that Mexico first bequeathed to them was alluring, as was its people, as Jack quickly found out. His head swiveled around on his shoulders as he took in everything new; crossing the border had been fine with him until now, and now that he had, it felt like he was riding onto a whole different world. Without his knowing, he reined Sundance closer to Gypsy and Maddie and let his wife keep leading him onward, just as she had been all day.

As they rode their horses past the fountain and hitched then before the cantina, a handful of men and women stopped and stared at them, curious to see such foreigners riding into their midst. Wonder at their appearance took the locals by surprise, even though many Americans passed through this part of Mexico. Still, the couple were of a significant source of shock and bewilderment for the citizens of Chuparosa as Jack and Maddie dismounted their exhausted mounts and shuffled into the pueblo-looking building.

Without spoken command, Jack clasped onto his wife's hand and followed her as they made their way deeper into the place. It was here that he discovered where most of the townsfolk resided, since the streets of Chuparosa were barren of their presence. The cantina was crowded with every manner of man and woman, all packed into one long building. The air was thick and lively with an invisible cloud of mourning and shock as the people took comfort in drink, card games, and each other. Maddie thought this rather peculiar as she politely pushed her way straight to the bar and laid a ten-dollar bill on the table; her hand hadn't left Jack's even as they made it to their destination. After a moment or so, the young man behind the counter approached them.

Right away, the man took in their appearance and instantly labeled them as outsiders. A flicker of disgust and isolation entered into his eyes, but it vanished the second Maddie began to speak to him in his native tongue.

"_Buenas noches, señor," _she said, adopting a beautiful Spanish accent the second she opened her mouth. She motioned to herself and Jack. "_Tequila para nosotros, por favor."_

Jack stood clueless and, aside from being awestruck by her fluency and beauty at the language she spoke, looked from his wife to the bartender and waited for what would happen next. His grip on Maddie's hand tightened: he didn't know what else to do and sought further comfort in such a new environment that shocked him.

As if his skepticism hadn't existed, the man smiled and fetched the bottle from behind him on the wall. He seemed highly pleased to know that the undeniably attractive woman standing in front of him knew Spanish, and so he hastened to grab the shot glasses and pour her and Jack a drink. However, to her surprise, he asked, "You an American, no? What brings you to Chuparosa? I've never seen you here before, _señorita_." He seemed oblivious to Jack's presence as he leaned his elbow on the counter top and edged closer to Maddie with a charming smile.

Growing offended by his interest in her, Jack stepped closer to the bar, leaning threateningly in towards the man as he picked up his shot. He glared heinously at him as he spat, "None of your damn business, _amigo_."

Maddie elbowed him softly in the side and shot him a warning glance. She inclined her head to the bartender in apology and said, "You must excuse _mi esposo_, _señor_. He is new to _la tierra_ and doesn't know its ways."

The young man blinked and looked Jack up and down. "_¿Tu esposo?" _he asked incredulously, his eyebrows raising._ "¿Realmente?"_

She nodded and grinned proudly at her spouse. She picked up her shot glass and threw it back without hesitance.

"_Lo siento mucho_," he responded and, finally taking the hint, backed off as he gathered up the bill she'd placed between them. A heavy disappointment and a wash of embarrassment cloaked the young man, but he did his best to rid himself of such potent emotions as he turned back to Maddie and handed her her change.

"Chuparosa is quiet tonight," Maddie noted as she looked about before settling her gaze to the young man behind the counter.

He nodded gravely and averted her gaze as he refilled the beautiful woman's glass. "_Sí, muchachos_. We are all grieving."

"_¿Por que?"_ she gently inquired. _"¿Qué pasó?"_

The bartender's eyes darted around suspiciously, looking as if he were wary of being watched or overheard, and he whispered, "_La Phantasma_." In an effort to busy himself and deflect attention from himself, he took the rag that hung at his belt and hastily wiped down the counter.

Maddie and Jack exchanged perplexed countenances before looking back at the young man who nearly quivered where he stood.

"Come again?" Jack pressed, hoping to get more out of him.

However, the young man shook his head and gave them a panicked look. He clamped his mouth shut and instead moved away to a gaggle of Latinos on the far side of the bar. Though they looked like they needed no service, he walked up to them and asked if they needed anything.

Jack watched him carefully all the while, and in his frustration, he threw back the shot without thinking. He would've kept his hateful gaze on the man if it weren't for how smooth and sweet the tequila was as it floated down his throat and settled pleasantly into his stomach. Blinking, he swallowed again and felt immense pleasure as he lingered on the taste. "Damn, that was good." He set down his glass on the counter and beckoned for the bartender's attention to get another shot.

"Jack," Maddie warned, her eyes widening with concern.

The bartender's expression held nothing short of distaste and discomfort as he hesitantly came back to them and poured Jack another shot. The second the shot was poured, he retreated back from whence he came and busied himself by talking to the locals in a hushed tone.

Jack took his second shot without hesitation and sighed with guilty pleasure afterwards. He looked over at her when he felt her eyes fixed upon his face.

"What?"

Concern melted from her features and was replaced by a knowing, mischievous little grin that flickered across her full lips. She tilted back her head and took her first shot. "Nothing, dear," she said afterwards. "Nothing at all."

Jack blinked, not following her amusement. "What?" he repeated and faced her fully, still holding her hand.

Instead of explaining herself, she beamed up at him and asked, "It's _muy bueno_, no?"

He nodded enthusiastically. It reminded him of honey, only it tasted so much better and went down ten times smoother. "This is some _damn_ good stuff, Maddie. Better than anything I've ever had in Blackwater."

"That's because it's _real_ tequila, honey," she chuckled and ushered the bartender over once more: he'd made his rounds with the other line of people at the bar around them and was circling back. "_Dos más, por favor._" When their drinks were poured, she raised hers up and faced Jack. Once again, the mischievous smile returned as she looked at him. "_Bienvenido a Mèxico_, Jack."

Jack, who had to pause a second to remember the phrases she'd taught him an hour ago or so, smiled, raised his glass as well, and clinked it delicately with hers. "Thanks—er, I mean…_Gracias_, Maddie."

Maddie smirked at his adorable slip-up before they threw back their second round in unison. As they sighed and set their glasses back down, they looked about them, taking in the scenery fully. The blending of voices rose above theirs and created such an interesting sound; the Latina prostitutes ambled about, staring hungrily at every man who appeared single and in need of succor; the congregations of robust but weary men and anxious prostitutes all blended together in a giant bustling crowd; in the second room, a game of blackjack was in full swing. All this, Jack took in with white-faced culture shock. Not only did he not care for large crowds, he didn't understand a single word the people around him were saying, which set him further off edge and made him step closer to his wife and squeeze her hand tighter.

Sensing his distress, she wrapped her arm around him and looked up into his eyes. "It's all right, Jack. It takes a little getting used to, but you'll come to love_ Mèxico_." She looked out along with him and smirked. "It may not look like much, but if you give it a chance, it'll come as a surprise to see how much you enjoy it here. For about four years, it was home for me."

"You mean when you ran away from your father and step-mother."

She looked back at him and nodded. "Yes. Those were some…troubling years for me, but I adapted, and I came to love Chuparosa and _Mèxico_. I mean, _look at this place!_ And think back to the land you and I rode across to get here. It was beautiful, was it not?"

He nodded and grinned as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I knew the second I crossed the border four years ago I would come to love this place and the land around it," she continued admirably, a reverent smile spreading across her lips. "Landon Ricketts helped me understand the land, its people, and its culture in ways I never thought I imagined." She looked Jack over with a glimmer in her eyes like that of a teacher overseeing her student. "I'll teach you everything Landon taught me." Her resolution faltered with a humorous grin as she added with a chuckle, "Well, at least, I'll try my best."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Her chuckle matured into a laugh as she motioned to him. "Look at you, for Christ's sake! You're practically shaking in your boots; you're _petrified_ of being here. God forbid you ever set foot off our ranch and explore new places."

He sighed through flared nostrils and furrowed his brow. "Maddie, before we agreed to go on this wild chase, you and I swore to each other that we wouldn't go after a big bounty like Jackson Randall again." He harrumphed and shook his head as he looked around him with unease. "And so here we are…"

"Oh, you stick in the mud," she giggled as she cuddled against his chest. Her lips caressed his underneath his chin before she leaned away and asked, "It can't be that bad, eh? You've got me to protect you from all the _banditos_ and the _prostitutas_. I won't let anything happen to you."

"It's not me I'm worried about, Maddie," he commented gravely with a poignant stare.

Maddie took a step back from him and returned the same sharp look. "Jack, I can take care of myself, especially here in _Mèxico_. I'm _more_ than capable of fending for myself. Need I remind you that Landon and I went on hunts together during my stay here?"

"I know that, but how many times was Landon there with you?"

She bit her lip and glanced to the side. "Almost all of them."

He nodded triumphantly. "Now you see my point."

"Hey, it's not like I didn't have him at my side all the time," she countered as she pointed a threatening finger in his face. "There were a couple of times where I went off on my own without him knowing and came back with the bounty tied onto my horse's ass. Granted, I had to shoot and kill one of them 'cause he was a little too much for me, but I proved myself to Mister Ricketts and to the people of Chuparosa that I was a force to be reckoned with, and that I was a serious bounty hunter. Since then, Landon let me go out on my own, and the townsfolk respected me."

"That was then, and this is now," Jack argued back with a resilient shake of his head. "Who knows how much things have changed?"

She puckered her lips and scrunched her brow. "You just _love_ playin' the devil's advocate, don't you?"

"I'm just bein' realistic, Maddie. Honest, I'm not tryin' to pick a fight here. I'm just laying it all out for you to make you see that you need me with you here in Mexico."

She rolled her eyes and faced the bar once more. She waved the bartender over and said, "_Cervesas, por favor_." Once she was given her beer, she took two mighty gulps of it, wiped the foam off her mouth with the inside of her neckerchief, and said to her husband, "Just you wait, Jack. When I show you the ropes around here, you'll be thankful you came with me."

"I somehow doubt that, Maddie," he countered with a jeering snort as he leaned on the counter with his elbows. He sipped at his beer and glanced down at her. "I still don't like leavin' my ranch to that bucket mouth Eli. God knows what he's sayin' 'bout us right now."

"Never you mind about that; just concentrate on helping me with this hunt and getting it done so that we can get home as soon as possible."

Jack nodded. "That's exactly what I plan to do."

"But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your journey across this rich and interesting country."

He half-way shrugged, not particularly caring at the moment. "We'll see."

Maddie frowned and turned away from him. Her keen eyes scanned the crowds for what seemed like the tenth time, and like before, she immediately picked up on the tall-tale signs of a people in desperate need of help. The men carried themselves with not as much gusto as she once saw them when she had lived in Chuparosa. There was an overpowering sense of despair, hopelessness, and tension in the conversations that she eavesdropped on; they all spoke in such quiet voices that she could barely make out the words. Shifting eyes and weary steps were often picked up by her acute vision, and it was quite clear to her that something was definitely wrong with the once spirited and lively people of Chuparosa.

"Something's wrong here," she pointed out to her husband in a murmur. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she bit her lip in thought. Once more, she swept her gaze across the people in the cantina. "The people are afraid. Deathly afraid."

"Of _La Phantasma_?" Jack uttered back and stepped closer to her. "Maybe they know something we don't."

"Of course they do. Look at them all. They're all huddled around each other like cattle at the slaughter house. They're petrified."

Jack finished off his beer before setting the empty glass on the counter. He frowned as he saw what Maddie saw. "We need to find out what's scaring them."

"That'll probably be easier said than done, darlin'."

"We gotta try if we're gonna find this Ghost and do her in."

"Well spoken." She looked carefully around, trying to meet the gazes of the men in the cantina. Most averted her piercing brown eyes, as if they instantly knew what she was after and adamantly refused, while some returned the stare threateningly, giving her the obvious hint that they wished to not be approached. Despite such harsh reactions, she continued on around the room, turning around in a half circle until her eyes snagged on a lone Mexican man sitting in a corner table adjacent to the blackjack table. A bottle of tequila was his only companion as he solemnly sat in silence and stared down at his shot glass.

"Bingo," she said and smirked. She set her beer down on the bar and cautiously walked forward. Jack followed right behind her, and as they came to stand before the man, she knew he would be the one to talk amidst all these terrified people.

The Mexican was quite large, with thick black hair and dark eyes that flicked warily up to look at them. His weathered poncho hid the bulk of his frame, but even he seemed small to the bounty hunters. The man looked to be both on the verge of tears and towards the onset of a raging breakdown. To calm his shaking hands, he picked up his bottle of tequila and poured himself another shot.

Maddie stepped forward and smiled charmingly down at the Latino. "_Buenos noches, señor. _You look a little…troubled."

The man swallowed nervously and flicked his gaze from her to Jack and back. Beads of sweat began to accumulate on his forehead. With a shaking hand, he wiped his brow with a dark-blue neckerchief and sat staring back at them, looking petrified to speak. In a desperate attempt to busy himself and hinder the oncoming interrogation, he threw back the shot and clumsily set the glass onto the table afterwards.

Maddie gave him an amiable smile and asked, "_¿Qué es tu nombre, amigo?_"

"Jesús," he blurted back in a deep growling undertone. "Jesús Aguirre."

"I am pleased to meet you, Jesús. I'm Maddie Marston, and this is my husband Jack." She reached across the table with the bottle and poured him another shot. As she and the unsettled man watched the liquid fill the glass, she said, "So…I see you and the rest of Chuparosa are quite unsettled about something. Has something happened of late that's caused such powerful silence in such a once lively people?"

The Mexican ran a hand over his damp, reddened face and shuddered. His hand settled over his mouth, as if he were forcing himself to remain mute.

Maddie set the bottle back down on the table and looked him in the eyes. "What can you tell me about _La Asasina_ or _La Phantasma_?"

Jesús flinched at the sound of the bounty target's name, and his eyes darted about wildly. He licked his lips and murmured nervously, "I will not speak here in the open. It's too dangerous." As soon as he finished his sentence, he looked around like a deer sensing itself as being prey to some unseen predator lurking in the shadows.

"_¿Por que, señor?_ What are you afraid of?"

Still looking about, Jesús began in an undertone, "_La Ph_—" He seemed to choke on her title, so he instead skipped it entirely and continued, "_She_ has many spies and _asesinos_ in _Mèxico_. She has grown to such immense power in such a short time, _señorita_. Many people have joined her, mostly because they are afraid of death by her hand: they either join her or die. I am not about to be killed for telling you what you wish to know. It is too dangerous for me and _mi familia_." His body trembled, making the chair in which he sat in creak and shudder. He tucked his chin into his neckerchief and stared fearfully down at the table. With shaking hands, he helped himself to the tequila and poured himself another shot.

Maddie and Jack exchanged glances, hardly believing the situation and how terrified the man was. A bounty target with such formidable power in such a large piece of land capable of recruiting members so ruthlessly wasn't uncommon, but it was indeed impressive. Without a word, Jack went to the bar and paid for a room for the night, then with a considerable amount of encouragement and reassurance, they ushered him to the room and locked the door behind them. It was rather spacious, with a desk, a small dresser with a wash basin, a chest, and a bed. It would suit them well for not only an interrogation, but also a place to retire to once said interrogation was over.

"Here, sit down," Maddie said as she pulled out the chair at the desk and turned it around for their informer. Jesús silently obeyed and made himself comfortable as the Marstons stood facing him with crossed arms and all the seriousness that called for such a conversation as this.

Jack nodded down at the man and beckoned, "You were saying?"

Jesús looked around the room and licked his lips nervously.

"It's all right, _señor_," Maddie said and gave him a reassuring smile as she unfolded her arms. "You're safe to speak in here."

He shivered as he stared fearfully into her eyes. "If she finds out, then I've condemned myself and my family to death."

"What is said in this room will stay in this room. You have my word."

The Latino stalled a moment longer before he gathered his bravery and hesitantly began in a low murmur, "She goes by many names, but _La Phantasma_ is what most people call her. Nobody knows her real name, or what she really looks like. She keeps her face hidden with a _pañuelo_, you see, and she wears disguises. But there is one thing that everyone knows her by, and that is she rides _un caballo blanco _named_ Muerte. _It is known that wherever that stallion gallops, he brings death to anyone and anything that's in his rider's way. She likes to kill, steal, and scare." He shook his head and stared down at his trembling hands. He clasped them together in an effort to still them. "I don't think I've ever heard or seen of such _una loca puta_." He looked her in the eye and warned,_ "Que tenga cuidado, señorita_."

"What's she after?" Jack piped up, switching his weight from foot to foot. "Does she target specific kinds of people, or does she even care who she kills?"

The Mexican shrugged and shook his head. "_Yo no se_."

Maddie sighed through her nose and pursed her lips, so far unhappy as to the amount to information she was receiving. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"When she rode through town three days ago, she stole some ammunition and some other supplies, shot and killed a handful of people—two of which were my very best _amigos—_and set fire to the market and the church. Thankfully we were able to douse the flames after all that chaos. Then, as quickly as she came_,_ she rode off and headed west, and from what I've heard by the few that have survived her _pistola_, she's riding across _Mèxico_ killing whenever she feels like it. She rode down here from America across Butter Bridge and keeps going west across _la tierra_. _Dios mio_, the poor _bastardos_ she's gunned down…"

"We're gonna stop that, mister," Jack said resolutely as he took a bold step forward and uncrossed his arms. He exchanged a strong, determined countenance with his wife before he added, "We'll make sure she doesn't kill any more people."

"You say that, _señor_, but you two must realize that you haven't been the only people who've said that. There have been other bounty hunters who've promised just as much and ended up the same: dead in the middle of the desert. The vultures and the wolves will pick you clean, _señor_."

Jack shook his head. "No, amigo. This is different."

The man looked unconvinced. "You're both fools if you think you can undo what's been done. _La Phantasma's _power is growing, and it's only a matter of time before she does something terrible, and on a much larger scale."

"You said she's heading west, right?" Maddie jumped in.

The Latino turned his attention to her and nodded.

"If she stays her course, then it sounds like she's heading for Escalera," she assumed as she met gazes with the Mexican.

The trio took a moment to blink and soak in the revelation.

Jack looked at Maddie. "Isn't that where President Reyes lives?"

His wife's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

"What if she's trying to take over Mexico?"

"_**Another**_ _revolucionario_?" Jesús scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised, but then again, she'd be the worst we've seen of late. First it was Allende, then Reyes, and now her? Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't already infiltrated the government already." He looked at Jack and Maddie gravely. "It's true, our government is corrupt, but if she digs her bloody fingers into it, there's no telling _what_ will happen."

"Yeah, no kidding," Maddie agreed.

"_Pero_," Jesús added, "I don't think _La Phantasma_ is trying to be a revolutionary. She's more like _una anarquista_."

"A what?" Jack questioned.

"An anarchist," Maddie translated.

"Oh." He looked back at the informer. "How so?"

Jesús blinked and gaped incredulously up at him. "Are you _stupido_, s_eñor?!_ She's killing innocents everywhere she goes! Don't you see? She's cunning and fast like the plague, and she's sweeping across this land just like one! She attacks whenever she wants to, for no apparent reason other than to kill! She feeds off the blood of innocents and relishes in the destruction she causes! It's a _wonder_ that Chuparosa is still standing after what she's done!"

"Where else has she done this?" Maddie asked.

"Practically every town east of here."

"_Where_ exactly?"

"Casa Madrugada was the first town to fall prey to her, then she just made her way across _Mèxico_. She pillaged through El Matadero, Agave Viejo, and Chuparosa, of course."

Maddie blinked. "She bypassed Las Hermanas? _¿Por que?_"

Jesús shrugged. "_Yo no se_. How should I know why she chose not to try to raze that holy place? She's tried burning down every church she comes across in the towns."

Maddie frowned and looked off to the side, her brow furrowing in worry. "That's…odd."

"_Sí, lo es._"

Jesús looked gravely at them both before continuing on, "Either way, she's nothing but death to whoever opposes her, so I'd be careful if I were you."

Maddie wasn't fazed by the man's warning. "Do you know if she and her gang are hiding out in Tesoro Azul or anywhere near here?"

The Mexican shrugged. "No one knows, but I would imagine so."

"Then it's settled. We'll leave at first light tomorrow and go check Tesoro Azul to see if she's hiding there. If not, then we'll head to Escalera as fast as we can. Whatever's going down, we need to be there to stop it."

"Good luck chasing after _Muerte_, _amiga_," the Mexican chuckled darkly. "You'll run your horses to death before you even get close to catching up with her."

Maddie's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Gypsy is one of the fastest and toughest horses I've ever seen or ridden. I know my horse, so I'll be the judge of that, _señor_."

"_Entonces_ _Dios sea con ustedes_," Jesús said as he stood up out of the chair. He walked hastily to the door and, as he grabbed the handle, he turned back and said, "I wish you all the luck in the world."

She inclined her head to him. "_Gracias, y también a usted_."

The informer forced a small, unconvincing grin and nodded jerkily before he turned and disappeared behind the door.

A moment of reflective silence enveloped the room as the Marstons faced each other with mirrored expressions of shock.

"This is bigger than I thought," Maddie whispered.

Her husband scoffed. "And you wanted to go after one last bounty."

She scowled up at him. "Yes, but I didn't think it would've been this bad. I wonder what all _La Phantasma_ has done to spread such terror across Mexico."

Jack shrugged and pushed in the chair, returning it to its original place underneath the desk. "Hell if I know. Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Baffled and trying to make sense of the information they'd just been given, Maddie sat quietly on the bed. In a daze, she took off her hat and set it beside her. "This doesn't make any sense. If she's not a revolutionary, then _what is her goal?_ Does she truly wish to spread such wanton violence, or is there something more to her motives?" She shook her head and flicked her hair to one side. She combed her fingers through her long, tangled tresses, as was her habit as she thought deeply on something.

"It's hard telling, Maddie," Jack replied as he took off his duster and hat and set them down atop the dresser nearby. "Some people try their best to change the world; others just want to watch the world burn."

"So it would seem."


	4. Part 4: Diversions and Casualties

**So things have considerably taken a turn for the worst...Enjoy, everybody!**

* * *

**Part 4:**

**Diversions and Casualties**

* * *

**Chapter Track**: El Club De Los Cuerpos – Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, _Red Dead Redemption_ soundtrack

* * *

The crisp morning breeze stirred the manes and tails of their horses as they stood overlooking Tesoro Azul; their backs were turned against the canyon wall and the sun had just begun to rise over the abandoned settlement, splashing brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow upon the white walls of where _La Phantasma_ and her gang surely hid from the eyes of weary travelers.

Maddie sighed through her nose and frowned as she scanned the gang hideout below through the scope of her high-powered rifle. She shook her head as she lowered the scope from her face and rested the firearm across her lap. Beneath her, Gypsy blew and lowered her head as she pawed at the ground impatiently.

"See anything?" Jack asked beside her, looking over at her expectedly. He held his horse's reins taut: the stallion had begun to prance about in place and was growing all the more anxious by the second.

Maddie shook her head before raising the gun back up to scan over what she'd been staring at for the past two minutes. She surveyed the entire miniature fortress, pausing on some of the buildings when she thought she spotted movement. Growing frustrated with the lack of dawn light, she grumbled under her breath as she slung her rifle over her shoulder and across her back. She drew her right pistol and held it aloft in preparation as she nudged her horse forward.

"Something's not right here," she pointed out as she walked her horse toward the south entrance gates. No sound came to her ears except the sighing of the breeze and the flapping of tattered cloth from within the hideout. As the sun tiredly rose and bathed the world in light, she stopped her horse before the gates and sized them up, her brow furrowing with confusion.

Jack stopped his palomino beside her, his pistol held at the ready as well. "Where are they?"

His wife shrugged and dismounted. "Only one way to find out…" Cautiously, she approached the gates and rested a hand on one of the doors. Glancing back at her husband, who was right behind her with his gun in his hand, she pushed open the door and pointed her gun forward.

The Marstons rushed forward and dove behind the nearest cover possible; several empty crates served as their protection as they entered the hideout. However, with all their preparation and willingness to fight back whatever opposition presented itself, they were met instead by silence. They glanced up over their cover and were faced by an empty gang hideout, and nothing more.

"Strange," Maddie murmured as she and Jack stood up and lowered their guns. They did not holster them just yet, out of fear that someone would pop out of cover and try to gun them down. Looking around, their bodies still tense should a gunfight occur, the bounty hunters advanced deeper in the settlement.

"No kidding," Jack agreed. "Did they just up and leave? Just vanish into the air?"

"C'mon, let's look around. You take the right side, I'll take the left." She glanced back at him, right into his eyes. "Be careful."

"Always am."

Their inspection took them no less than ten minutes. In that allotted time, all they found were remnants of previous tenants: a smoldering fire here, hasty boot prints and hoof prints there, horse droppings, and indentions in the ground where people laid down for the night. The crates and barrels that littered the place looked as if they had been dragged about and moved into certain positions that would help fortify the gang's protection from the outside world and other threats.

Husband and wife met in the center of the abandoned hideout, their guns holstered and their spirits sour with disappointment and worry.

"This doesn't make any sense," Jack began as he looked about them once more. He shook his head. "They were _just here_: the fires are still smoldering, and the footprints are pretty fresh. _Where did they go?_"

Maddie shrugged in response as she scanned the area alongside him.

"If they were in Chuparosa three days ago, then _where the hell are they?_ Why wouldn't they hide out here?"

"Maybe they left for that very reason, darlin'," she reasoned as she turned to face him. "Still, you've got a good point."

It took her another second for realization to dawn on her. Eyes widening in horror, she turned and stared off into the horizon towards Chuparosa.

"Oh, no."

Jack followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped as his eyes came to rest on what she saw. Over the town, perhaps even further, smoke clouds coiled and belched into the morning sky, the black swirling and curling about and blocking off the beautiful colors of the sunrise.

In the next instant, the bounty hunters sprinted to their horses and mounted up swiftly. As they kicked their steeds into a gallop down the road back to town, an ominous boom sounded, and as it echoed across the land, it spooked both horse and rider when it reached them.

In two minutes, they'd reached Chuparosa, only to discover that nothing was amiss in the town. Maddie and Jack pulled their panting horses to a stop at the gates, confused and trying to discern why nothing was wrong, when all of the sudden, a storm of gunshots reached their ears. Like the boom before, the gunshots sounded distant, and as they spurred their horses back into a gallop, they discovered where such havoc was happening. The moment they passed through the west gates of Chuparosa and galloped alongside the railroad tracks, their worst fears were realized.

In the twenty minutes that it took to reach Las Hermanas, it was far too late. The convent was ablaze, its gates destroyed and looking like they'd been blasted open by dynamite. The train station had also been set fire to, as well as the stagecoach that usually sat there waiting for passengers—the driver and his four horses lay upon the ground riddled with bullets and laying in puddles of blood.

As Maddie and Jack reached the convent, their horses squealed, skidded to a stop, and reared up in terror at the sight and smell of such tall, destructive flames. In shock, their riders dismounted and ran towards the crime scene, utterly helpless but still hoping to somehow stop the havoc. All around them, passersby had stopped and dismounted to scurry about as they tried desperately to douse the flames from the nearby water troughs and wells. In the middle of it all, five nuns stood huddling and cradling each other, sobbing and wailing as they watched their home go well past saving. Two of the women had sunk to their knees and raised their clasped hands to the sky as they prayed for mercy.

Still horrified, Maddie stumbled up to the group of wailing women and grabbed one of them by the shoulders. She turned her around, forcing her to look into her eyes, and she demanded, "What happened here? Who did this?"

Between her sobs and gasps for air, the elderly woman cried, "_La Phantasma_ did this! She….she came in disguised as one of us this morning at dawn! I saw…," she paused as a silent scream of horror contorted her face and opened her mouth, "…I saw her shoot my sister in the face at point-blank range!" It was all she could relay to her interrogator as she crumpled into the arms of her nearest comrade and sobbed openly.

Her confider took the opportunity to continue her friend's recounting. With tears streaming down her face, the younger woman explained, "She killed all of _las hermanas_ except for us. We ran outside when they started shooting. The men we thought we could trust inside the convent turned on us and opened fire!" She raised her wet face to the smoke-riddled sky and shouted, "_¡Dios mio! Dios mío, ¿por qué nos has abandonado?"_

The heat of the fire before them was unbearable, and Maddie and Jack pulled the nuns away from their destroyed sanctuary. All around them, men sprinted about collecting buckets of water and sand before attacking the flames. Their horses, along with the steeds of the strangers who had stopped to help, galloped away in terror and stayed at a faraway distance. With no other way to comfort the last surviving nuns, the Marstons charged forward and did their best to help put the fire out. However, in no time at all, they quickly became aware that it was all a lost cause, and that their efforts were for naught. The longer and harder they fought the flames, the stronger and taller and hotter they became. At last, they slumped back, panting and exhausted as they watched helplessly alongside the men who tried their best and failed miserably. Within a short time, the flames combatted and ate away at itself when everything it could've eaten was already lost to its insatiable appetite. With nothing else to fuel it, the fire died away slowly, as if imploding on itself, leaving the foundations of stone and the white walls a tarnished, soot-covered skeleton of what used to be a great haven.

Tears of anger and sorrow trickled down Maddie's cheeks as she sat alongside the weeping nuns and the defeated men who, even though were mere strangers, became a part of the mourning party along the road side. On her other side, Jack knelt clutching her in a desperate attempt to shield her from the sorrow that emanated all around them, but even he was tearing up.

Choked up and otherwise speechless, the bounty hunters sat alongside the crowd of lamenters both thinking the same thing. Their grief and guilt overtook them then, and as they sat cradling each other, they knew they'd suffered a defeat far greater than they could've imagined.

"This could've been stopped," Maddie somehow murmured past the lump in her throat. "We could've stopped her from doing this if we didn't go to Tesoro Azul."

"We couldn't have known where she was gonna strike next," Jack answered, sounding just as troubled as her. He swallowed hard, doing his best not to show the true gravity of his guilt and shame. "Still, I know how you feel."

"She will pay for this," Maddie proclaimed icily, her voice trembling with rising hate. Her hands gripped her husband's sleeves tightly as her face contorted into a dark, seething countenance. "She will pay for _everything_, I swear to God."

Jack nodded, his resolve rising just as powerful and high as his wife's.

"There must be something we can do," she continued as she turned and cuddled into his chest.

"What _can_ we do, Maddie?" he asked wearily, absolutely clueless. "This place is lost. Only a thunderstorm can help us now." As if willing it to come true, he raised his gaze above them, and though the sky was polluted with thick, black smoke, he tried to see past it with the hopes of seeing the clouds above them pregnant with rain and willing to bequeath to them their sacred gift. However, the sky was as clear and blue as any other day, and the bright cheerfulness gave a stark, satiric contrast to the travesty happening before them. Jack could've laughed and cried at the same time where he not so strong at holding back his emotions.

In his arms, Maddie looked around them at the sole survivors of the terror of Las Hermanas. With a heavy heart, she watched the strangers who had taken their time and energy to right the wrongs brought on by _La Phantasma_ shuffle defeated to their horses and mules, mount up shamefully, and ride away with a dejected shake of their head and a trail of tears. To her right, the nuns cradled each other and sobbed in each other's arms, all the while staring in horror and denial at their destroyed place of worship and sanctuary. Maddie swallowed hard and nodded.

"We must take them back to Chuparosa," she decided. "They'll be safe there."

"What makes you so certain, Maddie? If _La Phantasma_ can do _this_ and get away with it, who knows _what else _she's capable of?"

"We have to do _something_, Jack."

Jack bit his lip as he gawked at the remnants of Las Hermanas, then flicked his gaze to the nuns. He sighed sadly and nodded. He helped his wife rise to her feet. "C'mon. Let's get them out of here then."

* * *

Chuparosa didn't meet their expectations of safe, just as Jack suspected. With the nuns riding behind them on mules, Jack and Maddie led them back to town, only to be horrified further as they approached the east entrance.

"Holy mother of—!"

Jack would've finished his exclamation would it not have been for Sundance and the other equines rearing up and shrieking in terror at the sight before them. Hanging from the arch of the gate, the man he recognized as their informer, Jesús Aguirre, hung suspended by his ankles with a thick, strong rope and his hands tied behind his back. The man's throat had just been slit; a puddle of his blood had collected upon the ground below him, with tendrils of it still trickling down his face and dripping off his nose and forehead. Jesús was unfortunately not alone: what Jack assumed were his wife and two small children hung on both his sides in the same fashion.

The nuns screamed and stared at the grisly show before them. Maddie's mouth gaped and silently cried out a cry of disgust and alarm.

"It was her!" one of the nuns shrieked. She pointed up at the bodies with a shaking finger. "_La Phantasma_ did this!"

"Jesus Christ," Jack murmured.

"It was all a diversion," Maddie uttered after finally finding her voice, which was shaking from revelation and anger. "It was all just for show. These people are no more than cattle to her."

"No," Jack argued. He drew his pistol and aimed it up at the rope that held Jesús up. "Not today. Jesús and his family will not be a part of it." With precise aim and skill, he shot the ropes that held the family of four suspended for all to see. Their bodies fell to the ground with a solid thump.

He would've dismounted and begun to give them a proper burial were it not for the remaining citizens of Chuparosa shrieking and running about within the town's walls. Terrified at whatever else lay in wait for them, he and Maddie drew their guns and reined their mounts around the dead bodies out of respect before spurring them forward into a lope.

They brought up their horses quickly as the remaining families of Chuparosa scurried around them, collecting goods and necessities before mounting their nags and mules and forsaking their town. Nearly fifteen or so people were left as they made haste to flee.

"_¡Espera!_" Maddie cried out, her head swiveling about as she looked for anyone who heard her. _"¡Parada!"_

A few people managed to come to their senses and stop what they were doing.

"_¿Qué pasa? ¿Dónde ha ido todo?" _Maddie demanded, looking about at the handful of people who had stopped and obeyed her.

"_¡La Phantasma vinieron y mataron otra vez!"_ a man explained while he cinched up his brown mule. _"Todos han huido."_

"_¿Dónde?" _she further inquired.

"_¡En cualquier parte, pero aquí!"_ he responded before hastily going back to saddling up his mule and mounting.

"What's goin' on?!" Jack inquired impatiently, not knowing a word that had been said.

"Everyone's fled," Maddie explained as she turned in the saddle to face him. "_La Phantasma_ came back and killed again, as we've just found out." She nodded grimly back in the direction of Jesús and his family lying dead behind them.

"So now what? Where are they headed?"

"Anywhere but here."

"We need to take them someplace else besides anywhere," Jack countered. He leaned forward in the saddle and prepared to spur his horse forward with the intention of stopping some of the people fleeing out the west gate.

"Wait, Jack," Maddie barked. "Where would we lead them, even if they agreed to go?"

"Where is there that's close and safe?"

"Escalera, I suppose."

Jack's jaw dropped. "Maddie, that's _exactly_ where _La Phantasma_'s headed to next!"

"Well, _where else_ are we supposed to go?!"

An older woman nearby approached them, having overheard them arguing. "El Presidio!"

Jack and Maddie blinked and looked down at her.

"_¿Está seguro?"_ Maddie questioned.

"_Sí, estoy seguro._ The President's army is there."

"That'll work," she finalized and reined her horse around to begin rallying the people.

"Wait!" Jack exclaimed, hindering her from nudging her horse forward. "Isn't that directly back where _La Phantasma_ has taken over? Hasn't she already taken over that part of Mexico? Why go there when her power is already in full swing?"

Maddie shrugged despairingly, exasperated and not knowing what else to do. "Where else are we to go, Jack? Besides, it's the least she'll expect, since we figure she's been making her way west across Mexico instead of east. If we do this right, we can evade her and her gang and get the people to safety."

"_How?_ You heard them all. _La Phantasma_ has power all over this country, it seems. We'll never make it there without being spotted, or worse."

"We've gotta try."

With a frown and a nod of defeat, Jack grew silent.

With the woman's help, Maddie and her husband rounded up the remaining people in Chuparosa and led them outside the town through the east gate, being careful to step around the bodies that lay at the foot of the entrance. Once outside town, she explained to the terrified citizens her plan and ensured them that she and Jack would help protect them and lead them to safety to El Presidio. Jack watched on, utterly baffled as to what she was saying but getting the impression that she was promising them great things, and to him, her bravery and leadership was admirable.

Within minutes, he found himself riding abreast Maddie leading a small band of people. The sole survivors of Chuparosa followed them both on foot and on horseback in single file as they trudged down the road leading to El Presidio. It was slow-moving, and by the time evening came and the group made camp off the side of the road, they had just passed the remnants of Las Hermanas. Jack, Maddie, and several armed men took turns watching for _La Phantasma_ and her gang, but when dawn came and everyone packed up and readied their mounts, nothing was amiss. Concerned and worried that something would surely happen to them soon, Maddie and Jack mounted up and continued leading the people to safety.

The Marstons led the people as close to the shore of the San Luis River, taking less-traveled roads and avoiding the towns that _La Phantasma_ had ransacked and essentially taken over. By the end of the second day, they'd passed Ajave Viejo and Casa Madruga, stopping to make camp at Roca De Madera when nightfall cloaked the world around them.

While the people made their small campfires and ate their provisions, Maddie sat atop a rock near the base of the landmark, with her back to the looming boulder and her Henry repeater resting across her lap. Wearily, she looked out across the desert landscape, her eyes heavy but still scanning for any wanton threat.

Jack shuffled up the slight rise to her, carrying a bowl of hot soup and vittles from the campfire he and the others were sitting around. He sat down beside her and looked out past the horizon, squinting and straining his eyes for any signs of _La Phantasma's_ gang. No moon shown that night, but there were enough stars above to shed enough light upon the world for him to see for several miles out.

"Yet another quiet night," he murmured as he turned and handed her her supper.

She accepted it and rested it atop her rifle on her lap. The steam swirled and danced above the soup, tickling and caressing her face as she took up the spoon and bent over it. Though it scalded her tongue and mouth, she ate the soup with gusto after having traveled all day on barely any food—the necessity to get to El Presidio as fast as possible outweighed the need for food, water, and rest. As she ate, she glossed over the fifteen travelers and shook her head.

"Everyone's exhausted. I think we pushed them too hard today."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, I think we did. But we need to get to that fort as fast as we can before more people die, and I'll be damned if that happens on my watch." His expression darkened with guilt and anger as he looked down at the ground before his boots and sighed. "We've already lost the better part of the battle."

"Don't say that," his wife admonished. She set aside her bowl, turning away from it long enough to console him. "We've suffered a defeat, yes, but that doesn't mean we won't win this. I'm gonna make _damn_ sure something like this doesn't happen again. We'll get these people to safety, Jack. We will."

"I'm beginning to wonder if we stepped into this whole thing a little too late," he continued gloomily as he looked off into space with a sour, glowering countenance. He scrunched up his brow and bit down on his lip in thought.

"It's never too late to turn the tides, Jack. We can stop her."

He didn't respond as he continued surveying the surrounding landscape. Quietly, he sat there keeping vigil while Maddie ate her fill. Once she was done, she handed him back the bowl and spoon and thanked him. He looked her over with concern, and he frowned when he noticed how tired she looked and how her exhaustion was exacerbated by the fact that she'd just eaten a hot meal.

"You gonna be okay taking first watch?"

She nodded fervently, despite being enervated. However, she was decieved as she yawned greatly.

He gave her a look that clearly stated how wrong she was. "Maddie, go get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm fine."

He shook his head. "No, you're not." He nodded down to the campsite at his empty bedroll. "Get some sleep, darlin'. You need it more than I do."

Maddie looked him over dubiously. "And what about you? You look just as beat as I am."

He shrugged it off. "I can go without sleep. You know me."

"Maybe so, but I'd better not catch you sawin' away when I come up to take watch."

"Of course, dear," he chuckled and handed her back the bowl and spoon.

Maddie took it from him as she stood up and held her gun with her other hand. "Holler if you see something, alright?"

"I will." He nodded down to his bedroll again. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you in about three hours."

"Alright," she agreed tiredly as she bent down and kissed him good night.

* * *

Morning took forever to come for the Marstons, as well as two other Latino men who helped take watch. Though nothing happened all night, their nerves were on edge, and half the time their eyes played tricks on them. As camp was cleaned up and the steeds saddled, the bounty hunters still kept a strong vigilance lest something go astray in the early hours of the morning.

To their amazement, they weren't attacked on the road as they continued onward toward their destination. By midday, the gates of El Presidio loomed before them as they rode down the inclining road toward sanctuary. Maddie and Jack pulled their mounts to a stop before the gates and looked above at the men who kept watch and marched along the fortified white walls. Behind them, the weary survivors of Chuparosa stopped and waited for them to speak.

"_¡Parada!"_ one of the men above them shouted. All eyes froze upon them, and guns were raised and at the ready as the Mexican army sized up the group. _"¿Quién se va allí?"_

Maddie took the opportunity to speak for them all. She looked straight up at the man with the large, well-kept mustache and clean uniform and stated, _"El pueblo de Chuparosa, señor. Bueno, lo que queda de ellos."_

The man looked her over and demanded in a grouchy, commanding tone, _"¿Quien eres tu?"_

"_Soy Maddie Marston, anteriormente Maddie Ross. Estas personas necesitan la protección de La Phantasma."_

Jack leaned closer to her in the saddle and murmured, "What the hell are you sayin'?"

"I'm trying to convince this dipshit to let us in," she whispered back.

The soldier blinked and paused before asking, _"¿Marston?"_ He looked directly at Jack and asked, _"¿John Marston?"_

Jack blinked in turn and stared up at the man. He looked to Maddie for support, then back to the general and shook his head. "No," he answered back nervously. "I'm—er, sorry, um…._Soy Jack Marston_."

"_Este es su hijo y mi esposo_," Maddie clarified. She reached over and patted Jack on the leg for trying.

"What'd you say to him?"

"I told him you're John's son and my husband."

"Oh," he murmured back, feeling incredibly out of place. He fell silent as he sat atop his worn-out palomino.

The man looked about at his fellow comrades and bickered back and forth between them in rapid Spanish. He gestured specifically down at Jack, as if emphasizing his importance. After a moment longer of conversing, the general turned back to them and waved them onward. _"¡Pase!"_ he commanded before disappearing from view, most likely ascending steps to greet them at the gates.

A series of shouts was heard until at last the double iron doors of El Presidio opened, granting them permission to enter the safe haven the travelers had so desperately wanted to reach. Maddie and Jack led the people into the fort, where they were met with a swarm of Mexican soldiers standing and staring at them with their firearms in their hands. Off to the side, what appeared to be other peasants and common folk populated the first level of the place. The fortress was relatively packed with citizen and soldier alike, as if this was the last safe place in Mexico.

"Looks like everybody else had the same idea," Jack uttered over to Maddie as they stopped their horses in the center of the place and dismounted.

"Perhaps Reyes is helping his people after all," Maddie agreed as she slid off Gypsy.

They were met with the same man who spoke to them at the wall. He stepped forward through the throngs of people and stood before them solidly, looking utterly important and imposing. While several of his soldiers began to pass out food and water to the survivors they escorted, the general looked Jack and Maddie over with a trained eye.

"_¿Quien eres tu?"_ he asked again, although he was looking for a different answer this time. He looked from Maddie to Jack and back as he waited for them to speak.

"_Somos los cazadores de recompensas," _Maddie answered._ "Hemos venido a México para La Phantasma."_

As she and the general spoke and exchanged information, Jack let his focus drift from the conversation, seeing as he couldn't understand a word that was spoken, and as he looked around the fortress, he couldn't help but study the fortified, thick walls, the multitudinous cannons and Gatling guns sitting forebodingly atop the watch towers, as well as the pueblo-style buildings. He looked around at the hundreds of crates and barrels of what he assumed were supplies, both of ammunition and of food and other general necessities, and he couldn't help but think to himself, _This is exactly where these people needed to be._ He grinned with pride, finally seeing success after such failure only three days ago. _These people will be safe here._

"_Y este es mi esposo Jack Marston, hijo de John Marston."_

Jack felt his wife's hand tap his shoulder just then. He blinked and turned around to face her, staring dumbly down at her. "What?"

She jerked her head towards the general, who stood facing him with a hand extended. "This is Captain Gonzalez."

"Oh," he blurted and shook the man's sturdy hand.

The captain looked him in the eyes and nodded with gratitude. "I want to thank you and your wife for the kindness you've shown to these people. There aren't a lot of people like you two nowadays, now that _La Phantasma_'s riding around killing people if they don't join her." His English was superb, which surprised Jack, and his deep voice resonated in the large, open space. The man's presence carried an astounding weight, as did his sturdy appearance, yet despite his imposing demeanor, he spoke to the bounty hunters with exceptional kindness and generosity.

"Oh, uh…Thanks. And you're welcome, I suppose."

Gonzalez grinned at him. "I can't believe it."

Jack blinked and looked at him curiously. "Can't believe what?"

"I'm standing in the presence of John Marston's legacy. He was a great man: he helped bring about change to this country and helped our _Presidente_ overthrow Allende. You don't know how much this country is grateful of your father's help."

Jack blushed but otherwise gave the man a pleasant smirk of appreciation.

"General," Maddie gently budged in, taking a step forward, "what's happened in Mexico as of late? What can you tell us of _La Phantasma_?"

Growing pale in the face from exhaustion and terror, Gonzalez gave a long sigh and ran a hand over his face. He beckoned them after him with a wave of his hand as he turned and started towards the nearest set of stairs that led to the second level of the fort. "_Ven conmigo_," he stated. "I will tell you all that I know."

Jack waved Maddie forward, allowing her to ascend the steps first while he brought up the rear. They followed the captain to the second level, where the Latino stopped nearby a cannon and in quite the great view of seeing the rest of the fortress. The Marstons noted the other cannons and Gatling guns that sat atop the watch towers, acting as if steel gargoyles of mass destruction. The trio paused by the fortress wall and looked out at the desert landscape before them that stretched far beyond their sight. It all seemed so foreboding, such a vast expanse of land in which somewhere their greatest foe rode about freely. Though they were safe (for the time being), they still felt utterly insignificant and powerless.

Captain Gonzalez rested his balled fists against the wall and sighed as he stared out at the land as well. "Our country has had quite the struggle these last ten years, and we've had our fair share of _banditos_ and _criminales_, but _La Phantasma _is the worst. She only wants to watch the world burn around her. Everything she does, all that she's devoted herself to, is chaos. _Everything's_ chaos to her. It doesn't matter who or what gets in her way: if she can destroy it, she will."

"How long has she been a problem, _señor_?" Maddie further questioned.

Gonzalez shook his head and scoffed. "She's only become a threat as of late. She rose up out of nowhere. It's as if _Dia de Los Muertos_ has sprung her to life, and now she's on a rampage. _Dios mio_, she's _insatiable_."

"_Dia de Los Muertos_ is not even a month away," Maddie murmured in dumbfounded shock. "She rose to power _that quickly?_"

"_Exactamente_," the captain answered. "Like the plague, she came along, and her forces are gathering. Not a lot is known about her origins, or how she came to power so fast, except for her sole desire to kill, and if you don't stand alongside her and help her destroy, then you yourself get destroyed instead. It's as simple as that, _señora_. We don't know where she came from, who she really is, or what her true goal is, other than to kill, kill, kill. I guess she started out in America but had only a handful of followers—she was only _una penqueña bandita_ then, but now, it's like she's _una anarquista_, and she's only getting worse as the days go by."

"You're right about that one, _amigo_," Jack added. He frowned deeply as he admitted, "She burned down Las Hermanas three days ago." He gestured to himself and to his wife. "We did everything we could to stop it, but we were in the wrong place and the wrong time when it happened."

Gonzalez's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped _"¿Realmente?"_

Maddie nodded. "Only five nuns survived. They are here with us, as you can see." She pointed down to where the nuns and the other survivors from Chuparosa had congregated to eat and rest below them on crates.

"_Madre de Dios_," the captain whispered as he followed her gesture. He shook his head and scratched at his mustache in deep recollection, taking the time to soak in the disheartening information he'd just received. "She's practically taken over this country, except for this place and Escalera." He looked down at the swarm of civilians who had begun to mingle and take comfort in one another. He nodded down to them and stated, "You and your little group from Chuparosa haven't been the only people who have taken refuge here at El Presidio. People from Casa Madruga, Ajave Viejo, and El Matadero have come here as well, as you saw when you rode in. What little people have survived _La Phantasma_'s butchery have fled here, and we have kept them safe and fed under President Reyes' orders."

"Speaking of which," Maddie piped up, "why hasn't _Presidente_ Reyes dealt with _La Phantasma_ if she's become such a terrible problem? Why hasn't Reyes interfered?"

"Reyes has been busy with other things," he quickly responded, looking sheepish.

"Like what?"

The man's eyes narrowed at her boldness. "Running this country, for one thing."

"How about defending its people?" Jack inquired bravely, his eyebrows narrowing darkly over his eyes. "What has he been doing while the townsfolk are being killed and terrorized and being forced to join an army that will only cause further destruction and death?"

"Reyes has done everything in his power to stop her, _gringo_! He'd sent us out to find and capture her, but she's evaded us from the start. At first, we thought she was no more than a rowdy peasant who wanted to cause some trouble, but we never expected her to rise up this high and become such a…bigger problem."

"'A bigger problem'," Jack scoffed and looked to the side. "No offense, but that just sounds plain lazy to me."

"Has she taken over so quickly to where you and your army couldn't have avoided her?" Maddie continued. "You're a part of the Mexican army, _amigo_. You could easily take her on and wipe her out of existence."

"We would've done that long ago if we would've known where she hides. She keeps slipping past our nets."

"Why couldn't you have sent out a—"

"_¡Capitán!"_ came a panicked shout from somewhere nearby. _"¡Mi capitán, ven aqui! ¡Rapido!"_

The trio whipped their heads towards the cry, and their gazes rose above them on a soldier who stood beside a Gatling gun. The man was beckoning them urgently while pointing out towards the rise outside the fortress' walls.

"_¿Qué es?"_ Gonzalez demanded as he rushed forward and ascended the ladder. Maddie and Jack followed right behind him, their bodies becoming once again flooded with adrenaline should the need arise for action.

As they topped the look-out and stood next to the soldier, all eyes followed the young man's index finger. Everything went silent as their attention became fixated on a lone rider that sat astride a white horse and stared back at them nearly a hundred yards away on a rise just before the gates of El Presidio. The rider's long black hair flowed freely to the side from beneath a black hat, blowing carelessly along with the breeze and moving in synch with the white horse's mane and tail. The person was dressed in dark clothing, complete with a black, hoodless shroud over similarly-dark pants and shirt, and a bright-red bandana over their face.

"_¡Hijo de puta!"_ Gonzalez hissed, his voice trembling. "It's her!"

"What?" Jack and Maddie chorused, flicking their gaze from the rider to Gonzalez and back.

"_Es La Phantasma!"_ proclaimed the young soldier. He reached for his pistol strapped to this side and drew it, holding it at the ready.

"How do you know it's her?" Jack asked, stepping forward as he grabbed for his binoculars within his satchel. He fetched them hastily and put them up to his eyes.

"It's her, _señor_," the young man responded fearfully. "_Sólo muerte monta un caballo pálido."_

"What did he say?" he asked, confused as he briefly looked away from the lens to glance at his wife.

"Only Death rides a pale horse," she translated grimly.

Jack swallowed nervously as he returned his eyes to his binoculars. Through the lens, he was able to see _La Phantasma_ for the first time, and in relative clarity. Upon closer inspection, her white horse appeared to be an albino: the stallion's eyes, muzzle, and ears were a pale red. But what struck him the most was his rider's appearance: the strangest thing to him was her face. Though it was concealed by a bandana and a hat, from what little he could see of her eyes and nose looked as if she'd painted her face in a grotesque fashion.

"What the hell?" he asked aloud.

"What?" Maddie asked as she stepped closer and gestured for the binoculars.

"Look at her face," he answered as he gave up the binoculars to her.

Maddie looked through them and gasped. "Is she…? Has she painted her face to look like a…?"

Before Jack or any other soldier nearby could answer, right before their eyes, _La Phantasma_ took off her hat and pulled off her bandana, revealing to every soldier who wished her dead the most terrifying face makeup: she had painted her face to look like a skull, with deep black circles around her eyes where her sockets would be, as well as a black spade-shape on her nose. Black lines were meticulously painted across her lips and back across her cheeks to make her mouth appear only as bare teeth on a pair of bony jaws. On her forehead, chin, and cheekbones, she'd crafted what looked like intricate floral patterns in bright red paint. Without her bandana and hat, she looked extremely sinister, and coupled with wearing so much black sitting atop an albino horse, she was even more striking.

"_¡Santa Muerte!"_ the young soldier gasped and crossed himself hastily.

Jack stared at his wife. "What does that mean?"

"She's painted herself as Our Lady of Holy Death."

He blinked. "Which means…?"

Maddie rolled her eyes out of irritation and explained haughtily, "Think Grim Reaper but different."

"She's _desecrating_ the saint!" Gonzalez angrily reprieved, his fists shaking by his sides. "How DARE she try be an impostor of _Santa Muerte_!"

"Isn't that her whole point?" Maddie pointed out, gesturing with an outward palm at the rider before them. She shook her head, scoffed, and regrettably admitted, "How very clever."

"_¡No es inteligente,_ _maldita sea!_" the captain shouted. He stepped forward and reached for the lever of the Gatling gun. "_¡Eso es suficiente!_ I've had enough of this imposter and usurper! I'll deal with her myself!"

Just as he was about to fire the Gatling, his hand froze and his mouth gaped open as a wall of mounted men appeared seemingly out of nowhere, topping the rise and pulling their horses to a stop behind _La Phantasma_. Like a cavalry about to charge into battle, the army of followers took up their positions behind their leader in a v-shaped formation. All two hundred and fifty men sat atop their horses of varying colors and breeds with steadfast resolve. They respectfully looked to their leader just as she walked her horse forward several paces.

She stopped the stallion, however, just before the horse was about to descend the hill down towards the gates of El Presidio. She pulled back on the reins, leaned back in her black saddle, and kicked her heels forward, nudging the stallion's shoulders with her spurs and causing him to rear up tall and proud. The horse pawed at the air before him powerfully before landing back down on all fours and tossing his head. After putting on a show, his rider and all the others behind him studied the fortress before them silently, looking for any signs of weakness in the strong foundations of white stone and iron defenses. Their eyes bore through every soldier whose gaze they met; their presence alone struck terror into the hearts of even the bravest of men.

Two tense minutes passed as the opposing armies sized each other up and waited for the other to make a move. No one stirred or spoke during that time, except for the wall of strong horses that blew, whickered, and pawed at the ground. All the while, _La Phantasma_ sat proudly atop her white stallion, boldly showing herself off and making a statement that only she could've pulled off in such an impressive manner. However, despite her superior presence and authoritative body language, the one thing that instantly set a shiver to every man's spine was the way she stared up at the captain, Jack, and Maddie, as well as the way she suddenly jerked her horse's reins to the right and kicked him viciously into a gallop. It was clear then that despite possessing such clear brutal force, she was met with a definite mishap in her plans, and that enraged her. The white stallion was a beacon of chaotic leadership as he barreled across the land and headed straight east; the thundering of two hundred and fifty sets of hooves deafened the ears of the soldiers and anyone within a two-mile radius as the army of followers quickly disappeared off into the horizon.

Only then did every person, soldier and citizen alike, within El Presidio breathe a sigh and relax from their tense stance. Captain Gonzalez turned and faced Jack and Maddie.

"Now we know what she looks like," he muttered as he took his neckerchief in his hands and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Well, at least what we _think_ she looks like. Still, there's no mistaking the leader of such a large gang on such a white, powerful _caballo_."

"Indeed," Maddie agreed and sighed heavily. She rested both hands on the ledge and bowed her head, overcome with worry and exhaustion brought on after such an adrenaline rush. "This is bad. Really bad."

Her husband thought quite the same as he returned his binoculars to his satchel. "We gotta figure somethin' out soon, or else we're screwed." He looked to Gonzalez and nodded in the direction the gang disappeared. "They were headed east. What's in that direction?"

"Torquemada."

Maddie's eyes suddenly bulged, and she straightened up from her slouched stance as she turned and faced him with an ever-growing look of concern. "How long has Reyes' forces been stationed up there?"

Gonzalez blinked incredulously. "Not since he became _Presidente_. _¿Por qué?_"

"_¡¿Por qué no?!_" she exclaimed and gestured wildly out towards the gang hideout. "Are you telling me Torquemada has been abandoned all those years? What's become of it?"

"It's been home to a few _banditos_ off and on, _pero_…" The rest of the captain's sentence drifted off into silence as her point became across. "_Mierda_."

"_Mierda_ indeed!" Maddie shouted. She jabbed a finger eastward. "I bet you any kind of _pesos_ that _that's_ where she's headed, and if that's the case, then we're _really_ screwed."

"Why?" Jack asked, finally jumping into the conversation. "What's so special about that place?"

"It's a fucking fortress in its own self. It's sitting way up on the top of a mesa, which gives it a tremendous tactical advantage, and there's only one way up to the hideout, which makes it nigh impossible to sneak up to without being noticed. It's a place that well-defended and pretty much impregnable."

"Maddie, with all those men following her, I'm pretty damn sure she could impregnate it," Jack shot back. He exhaled angrily through his nose and pounded a fist down onto the ledge of the wall as the tension and anger rose to a breaking point within him. He turned sharply to his wife and added, "If that's the case, then we are neck-deep in a _heap_ of shit, Maddie, and _you're_ the one who drug _us_ into it."

Her jaw dropped. "Me?!"

He pointed vindictively down at her with his right index finger as he explained harshly, "_You're_ the one who got us into this mess, with you wanting to relive the glory days."

She smacked his hand away and glared up at him. "That's not true! There was a bounty that needed to be taken care of, and I went after it."

"Yeah, well, now look where that got us!" he shouted back as he gestured angrily about them.

"Hey, I didn't know it was gonna be _this_ _bad_, okay?! How was I to know it was gonna become a war of sorts?"

Jack shook his head and flicked his gaze upward in disbelief. He raised both hands and gestured toward her, his fingers becoming like claws as he demanded, "Why did YOU have to go and try to take care of this big problem, Maddie? Why does it _always_ have to be YOU who has to go after things like this? Why couldn't you have just been happy with the peaceful way of life we had back at Beecher's Hope? We could be at home _right now_ just minding our own business and carrying on like we were before, but instead, YOU drug us into this!"

"Don't push the blame all on me, goddamn it! I was merely _doing my job!_ It's my job to bring in criminals such as _La Phantasma_, and seeing as Archer Fordham personally saw to it that I go after this particular bounty, I have a certain duty to uphold. Isn't it my duty as a bounty hunter to bring outlaws into jail and take back justice?"

Jack's eyes narrowed to slits of rage. He dropped one hand to his side and pointed down at her with the other with one cold, jabbing finger. "You're not doin' it for duty, Madeline. You're doin' it for your own selfish desires. There's a BIG difference!"

Husband and wife glared each other down, their noses inches away from the other. When the tension was overflowing, Jack sighed through his nose, took a step back, and looked away. He chewed on his bottom lip as he glared of in the direction of where _La Phantasma_ and her army disappeared, and with a shake of his head, he turned away from Maddie and began descending the ladder.

Maddie stepped forward to follow him but faltered and glared down at him instead. "And just _where the hell_ do you think _you're_ going?!"

"Goin' to have a long chat with my good friend Tequila," he snapped back without looking at her.

Though she had more than enough reason to yell at him and try to stop him from walking away, Maddie instead watched him stomp down the stairs and storm into the main building. She flinched when he slammed the door behind him as he disappeared inside.


	5. Part 5: Reconciliation

**It's not much of a chapter, but here's another chapter for you all. :D**

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**Part 5:**

**Reconciliation**

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**Chapter Track**: Wish You Were Here - Incubus

* * *

_"You call that shooting, missy?"_

_Maddie's lip twitched as the old man's raspy voice teased at her ear and prickled her rising anger. Frustrated, she furrowed her brow to the point where it almost looked comical and bit down on her lip. "I know what I'm doin', goddamn it!"_

"_Watch your language, Miss Ross."_

_The angry fifteen-year-old girl flicked her seething gaze over to him and shouted, "I know how to shoot!"_

"_Like hell you do," he shot back, looking as if a small smirk dared to escape past his white mustache. His eyes glinted with a mixture of reminiscence, humor, and disappointment. He sat atop an empty barrel and leaned his back against the white wall of Chuparosa—he had decided it best to teach his young pupil how to be a better shot just outside of town rather than within its walls. A smoking cigarette rested gently between his index and middle finger in his left hand; in the other, he held a shot glass full of whiskey. Beside him, he'd made a make-shift table and bar out of several stacked crates: on top of the highest crate sat a bottle of whiskey and another cigarette he'd rolled up in preparation for a long, stressful afternoon. He figured he'd needed at least two smokes and some strong liquor to help him deal with the hot-headed teenager._

"_Hold your gun steady. And bend them knees, girl. You're standin' stiffer than a tall hickory."_

_Again, Maddie glared at him. With an extravagant sigh and a nasty scowl, she turned and faced him with one hand resting sassily on her hip and the other flimsily holding her semi-automatic pistol. Her shoulder-length hair swayed lazily in the wind as a breeze picked up. "For your information, Ricketts, my pa showed me how to shoot! Granted, that's the only thing he did right with me, but—"_

"_He failed at that, too, kid," Landon corrected solidly, looking her deep in the eyes with a penetrating, truthful stare. He jerked his head towards the line of empty whiskey bottles he'd set up earlier that day about twenty yards in front of his pupil. "Now let's see you shoot like a real gunfighter. You wanna learn how to defend yourself properly, right?"_

_The teenage girl pursed her lips. "Yeah."_

_The old man beckoned forth with cigarette in hand. "Then let me see what you've got, and without any of that sass. Watch your temper, girl. Don't let it get the best of you and your gun."_

_She rolled her eyes and sighed yet again as she turned back to the bottles before her sitting atop barrels. She brought the pistol back up and cocked it angrily with a flick of the toggle with her index finger and thumb. Frustrated by her lack of progress and irritated at the old man watching her, she half-heartedly looked down the barrel of the gun and aimed her sights at the first bottle for what seemed like the tenth time that minute. Struggling to gain confidence, she blinked as she pulled back the trigger. The gun kicked back, nearly hitting her square on the forehead, and just as she predicted, the bottle still stood in one piece, taunting her._

"_Hold it steady!" Ricketts chastised, his rustic voice rising in pitch. "Quit gettin' angry and just shoot."_

"_I __**AM**__!" she shrieked and then proceeded to fire off three rounds blindly at the target. The bottle remained untouched. "SON OF A BITCH!" she screamed and nearly threw her gun._

"_Watch your mouth!" Ricketts barked. He shook his head as he watched her toss up her hands in defeat and pace back and forth four steps. He frowned deeply, knowing how much hard work was ahead of him and his young student. He cocked an eyebrow at her as she glanced over at him. "You feel better now?"_

"_No!"_

"_Then why'd you waste those bullets?"_

_She was too livid to respond as she glared at him through her long, wind-blown tresses._

"_Don't you give me that look. Stop getting so worked up, girl. You're letting your—"_

"_Anger get the best of me, I know!" she finished with a roll of her eyes. She flicked back her hair with a jerk of her head and glared at the bottle before her with all the hatred she could project upon an inanimate object that seemingly loved to mock her._

"_Then what's the problem, mi niña?"_

_She jammed the pistol into the holster that hung at her hip and exhaled greatly. Tears of seething defeat welled in her eyes, and she tucked her chin down into her collarbone and hid her face from her adopted father out of shame. To show him her disappointment in herself was beyond what she could fathom to do; she'd had enough of crying in front of him, and yet somehow she couldn't toughen herself up just yet. The tears threatened to spill over and trickle down her cheeks, and she swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and did her best to not let them be shed. Coupled with the affectionate name he'd given her recently, she figured he was surely disappointed in her as well._

"_I can't do this," she somehow said through her sorrow. Her throat hurt terribly; she swallowed again and sniffed._

"_Yes, you can," Ricketts reassured. He took several thoughtful inhales of his cigarette and released a cloud of smoke as he studied her slouched stance. "You know what your problem is?"_

_She sniffed and mumbled, "What's that?"_

_Landon smirked as nostalgia flooded his mind's eye. "You're just like me when I was your age. You're too hot-headed. You've got to get past that, kiddo, if you wanna be any bit of good with a gun and start going after bounties. You're over-thinking things when it should all just stay simple. Just aim and pull the trigger, niña. Focus, aim, and shoot. That's all there is to it."_

_She clamped her mouth shut and continued to stare down at her boots._

"_Here," the old man said as he stood up out of his seat. He trudged up to her and put the cigarette in his mouth as he came to stand behind and slightly off to her right side. With the smoke tucked between his lips, he uttered, "Quit feelin' sorry for yourself and lift that chin up. C'mon, bring up that gun."_

_With lackluster, Maddie drew her gun and held it up._

_Taking a step closer, the grand master clasped his hand over hers and helped bring up the gun further, correcting her and holding it steady. "Now, when you shoot, don't lock your elbow. You'll wanna have a little give to it, but don't stand there with a limp arm. You'll want to be ready for that recoil, or else you're gonna end up knocking yourself out. When you shoot, squeeze the trigger, don't jerk it back." He took his hand off hers only to place it comfortingly on her shoulder. "And __**relax**__. You're tense as hell, you're gettin' mad, and that's affecting how you shoot." He took a step away and beckoned with a small wave of his hand. "Let me see you put your anger to good use and shoot straight for once. Focus, aim, and shoot. That's all there is to it."_

"_I'm __**tryin'**__, damn it!"_

"_Maddie…"_

_She pursed her lips and exhaled haughtily through her nose. "Sorry." She could feel his eyes on her face as she blinked away the tears and looked down the barrel of the pistol she held weakly in her hand. Her index finger hugged the trigger, but she did not yet pull it as she aimed at the bottle twenty yards away._

"_Be strong, girl," Ricketts added softly. His voice held a tint of affection and comfort to it as he added, "Be strong for your mama now. I know you can do this."_

_The tears reappeared in her eyes at the mention of her late mother, and as she gripped the gun tightly in her grasp and steadied her aim, she swallowed thickly and blinked in rapid succession. The tears eventually disappeared, and in their stead, her resolve returned._

"_Para Mamá," she whispered and pulled the trigger._

_The bottle shattered brilliantly into a thousand shards as if in glorious answer to her heartfelt proclamation. She felt Landon's warm, calloused hand on her shoulder._

"_Muy bien, mi niña," her adopted father said proudly. "Muy bien."_

The flashback ended just as Maddie squeezed the trigger in rapid succession, firing all eight rounds into a crate forty yards away from her. She didn't know how, but she'd climbed down the ladder in a red-hot rage, drew her pistol, and shot at the nearest inanimate thing to take her anger out on. Screams from the civilians and shouts of concern from the men of the Mexican army burst into existence just then; the peasants spooked and ran in the opposite direction, cowering up against the furthest walls of El Presidio as Maddie drew her other pistol and emptied the magazine on the crate. Though she was fluent in Spanish, the angry demands of the soldiers nearby penetrated her ears and came across as nothing more than gibberish in her enraged state. Only when the guns clicked harmlessly did she realize what she was doing; only when the red faded from her eyes and her focus pinpointed on the bullet-ridden crate did she comprehend.

"_¡Idiota!"_ someone shouted. _"¿Estás loca?"_

"_¿Qué están haciendo, imbécil?" _another demanded.

"_¡Mantenga el fuego, loca!"_

The past and the present had fused together during her moment of lividness, and as she came out of it, she holstered her empty guns with a gasp of horror and shame at herself. She looked around her wildly, caught in the act of carelessly letting her anger control her. To her chagrin, the fifteen survivors of Chuparosa, as well as the other petrified refugees from the eastern towns of Mexico, stood staring slack-jawed at her. The soldiers that were scattered about the fortress stood at the ready, some even standing with their guns drawn and on the verge of being pointed toward her. Utterly ashamed and still angry at it all, Maddie ducked her head, tugged her hat further over her face and escaped the attention of all the bystanders by hastily climbing up the nearest look-out.

The cool evening breeze was enough to make Maddie shiver as she reached the top of the outlook. She was confronted by a lonely Gatling gun; it looked as cold and unwelcome as any other beastly weapon, yet she pressed on and stepped up from the ladder. The wind tossed her hair and duster about, and in an effort to shield herself of it, she lowered herself beneath the wall of the look-out. She shivered yet again as she wrapped her duster tightly around herself. The evening proved almost too much of a reminder that winter was on its way. With that grudging thought slipping into her mind, Maddie leaned her back against the wall and tilted her head back to stare angrily up at the stars.

"Why is everything wrong?" she asked, not knowing whether that question was directed toward herself or to the night sky. "Why has it all gone to shit?"

The sky remained silent and still just as it always remained, leaving the unanswered question lingering in the air for her to ponder on. With an angry huff, Maddie turned her gaze away from the sky and let her eyes wander about the landscape. Looking out across the San Luis river and beyond, her mind began to pound out a million questions that she knew would only remain unanswered, just like her first one. Frustrated, she ripped off her hat and ran her fingers through her hair, starting at the roots and combing them through to the ends. It did nothing to soothe her, this gesture of self-calming, but she didn't know what to do otherwise.

_Why did I ruin everything?_ she asked herself. She sniffed and let out a shaky exhale, feeling the weight of the severity of the entire situation crush her, now that she was alone. _It's like I didn't learn my lesson the last time I went after a big bounty. Randall stole my virginity, and I almost died, and though this is nothing compared to the past, I have once again brought a terrible fate onto myself and Jack. _She scoffed. _Hell, it's no wonder Jack's pissed at me. _A deep frown began to tug down on the corners of her mouth. _Have I really been selfish all along?_

She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them against her. She rested her chin on her knees and stared at the Gatling gun without looking at it as she thought on. _Have I really drug myself and my husband into so terrible a mess for something so petty as wanting to relive the old days? Did I seriously not consider Jack while making my decisions and thereby thoughtlessly dragging him along? I _know_ he's uncomfortable being here in Mexico. Fuck, he's _been_ that way ever since we left the ranch and crossed the border. _She hugged her knees tighter and furrowed her brow. _But how was I to know things would go terribly wrong? I didn't realize La Phantasma would go so far as to try to eradicate the entire population of Mexico in her quest for death. And why is that? Why would una bandita want to kill every citizen she crossed paths with? And why hasn't she attacked Reyes up in Escalera yet? _She brought her brow to her knees and rested her head against them with a heavy sigh. _Maybe Jack was right. Maybe we've already lost before it all began._

Resolutely, though, she brought her head back up from her knees. Her gaze pierced the glinting Gatling as she thought, _But we can't just give up like a lame horse and fall over and let nature take its course on us. We've taken on too many bounties to simply give up the moment we're presented with a _real_ challenge. I sure as shit won't let that happen. _Her determination faltered as she questioned_, But at what expense will I go to reach La Phantasma and bring her in? Has Jack already accepted the inevitable and wishes to leave before we can really make a difference in all this? What will happen now? We've stepped into a game where we haven't the slightest clue as to the outcome. But we did change it slightly; we thwarted a part in La Phantasma's plan bringing the people of Chuparosa to safety. But with an ever-growing army, surely she would eventually consider taking on El Presidio. Granted, we've got Gatlings, cannons, and a fortified wall, but even she would try to come up with a plan to take this place over. It's only a matter of time before she tries something._

_And when she gets to that point, then what? Will she still go after Reyes and Escalera, or will she try to take El Presidio over first? Hell, it's hard telling. With that army of hers, there's no telling what they could accomplish now. Jack and I _must_ get to Escalera soon, or somehow warn them in time._

Her thoughts receded for a time, and when she grew tired of staring at the gun, she turned her attention downward at her boots, and inwardly at herself. Self-pity and shame began to eat away at her like an insatiable parasite. Once again, she hugged her knees tightly and rested her forehead on her kneecaps as she inwardly inspected herself and her flaws, and quite quickly, her thoughts began to race once more.

_Have I really been selfish? Have I? Is Jack right?_ She exhaled through her nose and shook her head while rolling her eyes. _Who the fuck am I kidding? Jack's usually right, anyways. He knows me better than I know myself. He would know when I was being selfish or not. _Her frown deepened as her thoughts turned to her beloved. _Or did he just say all that to deflect everything off himself? He's probably scared shitless of all that's happened in so short a time. Hell, even _I _can't deny that La Phantasma is petrifying, but Jack? He's _hardly_ afraid of anything…or at least, he won't admit to it, even to me. But even if he _is_ scared, why would he say that to me? He's never been the spiteful one, so he wouldn't outright say things to hurt me, but now in front of everyone? Why would he do that?_

In an effort to busy and comfort herself, she dove a hand into one of her inner pockets of her duster and retrieved a match and a cigar. It had been a while since she's smoked for pleasure, and seeing as there was no better time than now, she figured she'd do just that. It took several tries to light it, as the wind kept conspiring against her, but once the cigar was alive, she puffed gratefully on it and released great tendrils of blue smoke. She watched the wind snatch the smoke and rip it into nothingness as it stole it away from her on cold gusts. The bright red cheery at the end of the cigar was her light source atop the look-out, even though the sliver of a moon could be seen above. It didn't, however, share any light down upon her and the rest of the world, leaving her feeling lonely and lost in such a vast expanse of terror and uncertainty. Hastily, she puffed on her cigar then, but as she released the smoke, she silently berated herself for smoking so fast. _Take your time_, she reminded herself with a roll of her eyes. _You know it's the only way to smoke a cigar. C'mon now, girl. Remember what Landon taught you._

_Landon…_

She scoffed and shook her heady solemnly. _He'd be ashamed of me right now. I guarantee he'd give me that look and say, "Damn it, kid! What are you doin'?" I bet he would say that. _She studied her cigar carefully, noticing how well-packed and rolled it was, and she mulled on the taste of it as it lingered pleasantly on her palette. The smoke fought to caress her face before it was mercilessly snatched away from her by the wind; it was as if it were trying to comfort her in the place of her old mentor and father figure. Maddie sighed and looked up at the stars. She felt her eyes brim with tears of longing and disappointment.

"Oh, Ricketts," she sighed, "I wish you were here. You'd have a thing or two to say to me and Jack right now. Hell, we both know he'd listen to you more than me. I wish you could've met him at least. I wonder what you'd think of him, and of us." She chortled bitterly as she brought the cigar back to her mouth. Through it, she said, "Guess we'll never find out…"

Her words drifted away from her like the smoke from her cigar, never to fall upon any other ears but hers. She sat smoking in silence as the breezed whispered incomprehensible secrets to her and played with her long hair like a bold, flirtatious admirer. Quite soon, the chilly night took its toll on her, and after an hour or so of silent pondering and self-examination, she'd had enough of it all. She stood up, took one last long puff of her cigar, and flicked it out across the fortress wall. She watched the darkness below her swallow her cigar before she put her hat back on, descended the ladder, and made her way towards the main building where she knew he'd be inside waiting for an apology.

_Might as well get this over with_, she thought grimly to herself as she walked up the steps and approached the door. Her hand lingered on the door knob, however, as she briefly thought of what she was going to say to her distraught husband inside. Her mind drew a blank suddenly, and as she struggled to retain what she'd rehearsed in her head minutes ago, she chewed on her lip and glared at the door.

"_Maldita sea_," she whispered harshly. She frowned and nodded, readying herself for the arduous conversation she knew she'd endure within seconds. Preparing herself, she turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

It wasn't hard to find Jack: he was the only person sitting in the spacious room at the large table. The electric light above his head cast him in a brooding shadow. He was sitting with his hat pulled down low over his face: only his angry frown and his unkempt facial hair could be seen. In his right hand, he held a cigarette that spat up a curling tendril of smoke. In his left hand, he clutched a half-empty bottle of the finest tequila. Maddie quietly and carefully crossed the room and approached him. Her spurs tinked and sang out, and her boots thudded loudly as she came to stand before him and the table.

The chair shrieked in protest as she slid it out from underneath the table; it creaked as she sat down on it and rested her elbows on the table top. She clasped her cold hands together in front of her and sat studying Jack, waiting for him to be the first to speak up.

Jack, however, sat silent and still as ever. His anger was palpable for her as it drifted across the table and sat lingering like a wanton visitor. He brought the cigarette to his mouth, took one long, angry drag, and released the smoke in a cloud of frustration. The dragon stirred within his sanctuary of solitude and darkness and sat impatiently waiting for his intruder to take initiative.

Maddie frowned at her mute husband, becoming fed up with the silent treatment. "Say something, Jack," she said, finally breaking the silence between them. "C'mon, I know you've got plenty to say to me."

He exchanged the cigarette for the tequila instead, lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a large gulp. He sat the bottle back down with a slight bang.

His wife's eyes lingered on the half-empty bottle with a mixture of emotions. "I'm surprised you're not drunk yet."

"I'm too _pissed_ _off_ to get drunk," he snapped, finally looking up at her from beneath his hat. The smoke from his cigarette angrily coiled and danced, looking like the twitching tail of a cat with malicious intent.

To this, Maddie said nothing. She merely pursed her lips in response and looked away. The thought of drinking sounded awfully tempting to her, and for a split second, she considered stealing the bottle from him. _No_, she thought with an internal shake of her head. _No, it would only piss him off further. _Still, she couldn't help but glance at the bottle he clutched in his left hand with gnarled fingers that resembled the claws of a lion about to attack. The claws were retracted for the time being, but they were still there, waiting for the opportune moment.

"But I know _you've_ got something to say to _me_," Jack piped up, sounding as if he were expecting something particular. The way his voice dripped with sarcastic hints made it all too clear as to what he was fishing for. He flashed his eyebrows at her and waited with pursed lips.

Maddie glared at him and gripped her clasped hands together tightly. "What do you want from me, Jack? What do you want me to say?"

"You know _exactly_ what I want, Madeline. Don't pretend otherwise." He brought the cigarette to his lips and took another drag. He blew the smoke through his nose this time, a sign that Maddie knew all too well, a sign that meant he was beyond enraged.

To buy herself time, Maddie reached across the table for the tequila. However, Jack anticipated her move and jerked the bottle far beyond her reach.

"You ain't gonna try and stall by drinking, Maddie."

"I just wanted a sip is all."

"I don't give a _good goddamn_ 'bout what you want right now."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Give me that damn bottle, Jack."

He held it further away from her. "_Hell_ no! Not until you say what needs to be said."

She sighed through her nose and glared off into space. "Fine, you _pendejo_." Her mouth twitched as she struggled to throw up the words she'd been meaning to say, the words she and Jack knew needed to be spoken. She unclasped her hands only to clench them into fists on the table as she did her best to push her apology up her throat, form it across her tongue and lips, and vomit it into the open, hungry air between her and her husband. She looked down at the table and bit down on her lip, fighting with herself. At last, as she felt her most vulnerable and weak, she murmured, "I'm sorry." She sighed and ran a gnarled hand through her long tresses in an effort to comfort herself through such an arduous moment. "I'm sorry for everything. You…you were right, Jack. You were right all along. We—_**I**_ got ourselves into some deep shit."

Jack leaned back in his chair and waited for her to continue.

Maddie took the hint and struggled on. Swallowing thickly, she said, "You're right. I was wrong to drag us both into this mess and get so neck-deep in shit that we can't breathe or think or even act, for that matter. I was wrong to think I was gonna be able to go back to the past, to the way we were…the way _**I**_ was…and relive the good old days. I was a fool to think I could free these people from a pesky criminal and be done with it all and be back at the ranch in no time. But now…now things have really escalated into something even greater, and…I don't think I can do this on my own now. We need to fix this…_**I**_ need to fix this."

The pleasure Jack felt in hearing her confession was short-lived as he breathed a sigh of disappointment and shook his head at his wife. "Why did you _have_ to insist we go and get ourselves into a shit-storm in a country that isn't ours? Weren't you happy back at home with me? Was I not giving you the life you wanted?"

"I _was_ happy, Jack. I'll _always_ be happy with you no matter where we are. Don't _ever_ doubt that, darling."

"But it wasn't really what you wanted, was it?" he asked, although he sounded like he already knew the answer.

She shrugged and looked off to the side. "I don't know what to tell you."

"The truth," he suggested

"I_ have been_, haven't I?" she inquired, feeling hurt for not having his trust in her words. "I just said what you wanted to hear, and more. How have I not been truthful?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, you have, but still…"

"Still what?" Maddie snapped.

"You may have apologized to me, but that doesn't take into account for the way you handled things."

Her mouth dropped open. "How do you figure?"

He pointed at her angrily with his cigarette and stated, "You agreed to go on a wild goose chase into a different country after a psychotic bitch for a few thousand bucks, and all before even taking me into consideration. It was a stupid and selfish decision on your part to not let me know of your plans. I don't care if Archer assigned you to this job or bounty or mission or whatever you wanna call it—you should've talked to me beforehand. If we're gonna work together, if we're gonna _be_ together, then we _have_ _to_ _make decisions_ _**together**_. That's all there is to it, Maddie."

Maddie pounded the table with a shaking fist and shouted, "We've already established that I was selfish, damn it! Must you continue to bring that point up?"

"_Yes_, goddamn it!" Jack yelled back, his voice overshadowing hers.

The couple glowered at each other for a long moment.

"Look," Jack continued on, his tone steadily softening, "all I'm sayin' is that you agreed to marry me four years ago, and when you did, you and I made many vows."

"I'm not going back on any of my vows, Jack," his wife retorted with a shake of her head.

He lifted a hand. "Let me finish." After a brief second to take a swig of tequila, he continued, "I'm just askin' that you make decisions with me from now on. Hell, we were doing great back at Beecher's Hope. We've had a good four years together, haven't we?"

Maddie nodded. "Of course."

"Then why would you go off and agree to do such a thing without my say-so, much less drag us down to Mexico and have us end up in a tight fuckin' spot with no chance in hell of winning?"

"Because it's my goddamned right to have the freedom to choose and do whatever I wish!" she angrily blurted out as she stood up out of her chair. The chair's legs shrieked as it slid back on the floor and almost tipped back, but the noise wasn't enough to distract Maddie as she continued, "When I agreed to marry you, we also made a decision to not bring the other into a binding situation. The day I agreed to take your name and be your wife is also the day that you agreed that you would NEVER restrain me into the same situation as where my mother was when she was alive and with my father. We agreed that we'd make our marriage work better than my parents', that we'd be happier than them." She narrowed her eyes at her husband. "Or do you not remember that?"

Jack nodded as he looked up at her with steadfast resolve. "I remember that day perfectly, Maddie, as well as our wedding day. Don't think I forget such important moments as those." He took several thoughtful drags off his cigarette before blowing the smoke through his mouth with a heavy sigh. "I try to treat you the best I can. Haven't I been doin' that?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"And haven't I given you the life you wanted, the life we helped build when I got back to Beecher's Hope after I was pardoned all those years back? You stayed with me, and even back then I knew we'd get married and live a happy life on the ranch. Maddie, I've given you the utmost freedom anyone could be given in a marriage: I've let you ride around Blackwater and all around West Elizabeth whenever you wanted, I've let you go after bounties and have even helped you on some of them, and I've let you take the reins on our marriage for the most part. The fact that we don't have kids says a lot—you've been the main reason why. I never once pressured you into having children, and I'm okay with that, as I'm sure you are. So what I'm asking is: why did you feel like you had to go behind my back and go after this ridiculous bounty just for the sake of reliving the old days?"

Maddie's mouth remained open for a time as she stood staring down at him in shock and at a loss for words. Her eyes searched his, as if she were looking for the answer to his question in him. Doubtless that she'd never find it, she looked down at her clenched fists that remained on the table and brought them up. She opened her hands and searched instead in her palms, as if willing her answer to magically appear into them. Hopelessly lost, she took off her hat and ran her hands through her hair as she sat back down. A heavy sigh issued through her open mouth, and she shook her head, not even knowing where to start searching within her mind. Where was her answer? Was she indeed just downright selfish in her quest for nostalgia?

Jack grinned and, knowing she needed to relax and refresh her mind, extended the half-empty bottle of tequila to her across the table. The second he set the bottle down in front of her, she'd snatched it up and took several hearty gulps of it. Without batting an eye, she set the bottle back down, wiped her mouth with her duster sleeve, and sighed again.

"Better?" he asked with a hidden chuckle in his voice.

"Better," she murmured. She looked him in the eyes and snorted derisively. "You must think you're married to a child, with the way I've been acting lately."

He reached across the table and took her hand in his. He grinned lovingly at her, his brown eyes sparkling with adoration. He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. "No. I'm married to a beautiful woman with a wild, untamed spirit and a heart of gold."

She smiled and joked, "So at last we know the truth."

"I've always known it."

She interlaced her fingers with his. "You smooth-talker, you."

He shrugged. "I try to be."

She rolled her eyes as she grabbed the bottle and took another swig.


End file.
